80 Years On

While VE Day (Victory in Europe) marked the end of the war in Europe in May 1945, many thousands of Armed Forces personnel were still engaged in fighting in the Far East.

Victory over Japan would come at a heavy price, and Victory over Japan Day (VJ Day) marks the day Japan surrendered on 15 August 1945, which ended the Second World War.

Fighting in the Asia-Pacific took place from Hawaii to North East India. Britain and the Commonwealth’s principle fighting force, the Fourteenth Army, was one of the most diverse in history – more than 40 languages were spoken, and all the world’s major religions represented.

The descendants of many of the Commonwealth veterans of that army are today part of multicultural communities around the world, a lasting legacy to the success and comradeship of those who fought in the Asia-Pacific.

The human cost of the Second World War was overwhelming and introduced the ever-present threat of nuclear war, a fear that looms large amidst today’s global conflicts.

Friday on 15 August, we will come together as a nation to commemorate the Second World War generation, paying tribute to the British and Commonwealth veterans who served in Asia and the Pacific as well as those who made the ultimate sacrifice for peace.