A historic edition of the Faversham News, recording the end of the Second World War, has been unearthed among family papers.

It was discovered by Sylvia Dane who realised the newspaper had been mailed by her mother, Joy Wass, to her brother, Mr E Hogben, who lived in Watford.

The News' banner headline on its issue of August 17, 1945 said it all: The Battle Flags Are Furled - Peace comes at last to War-weary World.”

The Mayor of Faversham throughout the war years, Cllr Phil Johnson, told a reporter: “We all thank God that the long-dragged-out war is now at an end.

“We remember with deep gratitude the services rendered by the Fighting Forces, and the supreme sacrifice made by those gallant men who will never return to enjoy the days of peace.”

He added that “by the mercy of God the town has been spared the horrors experienced by people in other towns.”

The day after Japan surrendered, Favershamians had enjoyed parties to mark VJ Day but families with fathers and sons in the Far East, especially those taken prisoner by the Japanese, remained anxious.

On page 4, the News recorded the last Faversham fatality of the war – the death of Private Jim Powell, of Forge Cottages, Oare, who volunteered for the Paratroops and drowned while training in Yorkshire.

The 18-year-old, a driver’s mate at Shepherd Neame, died on August 4 - just 10 days before the war ended.

Lifelong peace campaigner George Champion had written to the paper condemning the dropping of nuclear weapons on Japan.

That view brought a sharp retort from Private Ernest Frier, who wrote: “It was better for us to use this weapon than for our soldiers to be killed in an assault on the Nipponese Islands, which would have been necessary without the bomb.

"In my opinion, the Japanese did not get a big enough dose of it. They would not have hesitated to use it against the Allied Nations.”

Another reader, L.A. Burrows, of Canute Road, took a similar stance: “We must realise that all through the war we have been fighting inhuman beasts who did not hesitate to use any weapon in a vain attempt to turn the tide in their favour.

“Thank God that this terrible power was delivered into the Allies’ hands - sane hands - that have used it only to force the end of the war.”

Our paper in those days cost the princely sum of three old pence, and the postage to send it was a mere one penny.

There were both peace and war references in advertisements sprinkled through the News's eight pages.

Faversham Gas Company's display ad showed cartoon character Mr Flame driving a tank and saying "T'anks for the Gas you save."

"We all thank God that the long-dragged-out war is now at an end" - Cllr Phil Johnson

On a more reassuring note the British Biscuit industry pledged it was ready to “welcome back its workers.”

The railway companies cautioned that holiday trains in short supply because of shortages of labour and passenger coaches, many of which had been shipped overseas.

Wartime special trains still had to be run daily. Meanwhile, the Trades Union Congress bought space to urge people to continue supporting National Savings in order to help the mammoth task of reconstruction.

Faversham & Thanet Co-op boasted that its mechanised and modern farms had produced thousands of tons of foodstuffs to assist feeding the nation during the Battle of the Atlantic, and would continue to do so in peacetime.

Our paper noted: “Victory Day passed quietly in Faversham – there was no tendency to any celebration in a hectic form.”

Faversham Parish Church bells pealed out at 10am, and flags speedily appeared on buildings during the morning. A wet morning was followed by a sunny afternoon.

Celebrations did become more animated in the evening with crowds out and about in the town, and many toasts were drunk to the end of the war in the town’s pubs.

As we reported, Prime Minister Clement Attlee had told a relieved nation: “Japan has today surrendered. The last of our enemies is laid low.”

Parties were held during the weekend and victory bonfires lit in many neighbourhoods to mark the return of peace.