To mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day (Victory in Europe Day), a Wiltshire pub is offering pints for a little as 5p in exchange for old British coins, plus a delicious fish and chips dinner offer!
Located in Compton Bassett, which was the base for RAF Compton Bassett from 1940 to 1964, The White Horse Inn is celebrating this year’s VE Day in true British fashion. For three days of festivities, the independent pub will be serving pints in exchange for old British coins – including a shilling (worth 5p today) and a crown (worth £5 today)! The offer will run from Thursday 8th May to Saturday 10th May 2025. The coins will then be donated to Dorothy House Hospice Care to sell in its charity shops.
Alongside the coin exchange the pub is taking inspiration from former Prime Minister Winston Churchill with an honorary fish and chips VE Day dinner special on Thursday 8th May 2025. Customers can enjoy the 2AA rosette-rated restaurant’s beer battered Cornish haddock and hand cut chips, served with minted peas and tartare sauce, with a drink for just £20!
Referred to as ‘Good Companions’ by Winston Churchill – who ensured fish and chips weren’t rationed because he thought it would be detrimental to the morale of the nation – during the D-Day landings, soldiers who found themselves behind enemy lines and needed a way of telling whether someone was a friend or foe, devised a two-word code… one called ‘fish’, the other replied ‘chips’! The pub’s general manager says this is why fish and chips is the perfect meal to celebrate the 80th anniversary with.
Speaking about the initiative Ash Harlow, General Manager, The White Horse Inn, says: “Wiltshire has so many historic and current ties to World War II and the British Armed Forces. Just down the road we also have Royal Air Force Lyneham, and of course Compton Bassett used to have its own station here. So, we wanted to pay tribute to the amazing service men and women who served in World War II, and who still serve today, with a celebration that’s both fitting and in good fun.”
He added: “We have put on a coin exchange for VE Day before and the team just heard the most magnificent stories from family members of those who served in World War II, as well as fascinating stories about the coins themselves! We’re looking forward to welcoming everyone for a pint and a classic fish and chips tea in May to celebrate VE Day with us.”
The White Horse Inn’s coin exchange will run from Thursday 8th May to Saturday 10th May 2025 and is limited to one exchange per day for each customer.
To book a table go to their website HERE.
