The 75th anniversary of VJ Day (Victory over Japan) will be recognised this Saturday August 15 across Britain and the Commonwealth to commemorate the end of the second world war. Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke of Edinburgh and The Duke of Cambridge will lead commemorations to mark the event.
Whilst VE Day (Victory in Europe) marked the end of the war in Europe in May 1945, many thousands of armed forces personnel remained engaged in bitter fighting in the Far East. Victory over Japan came at a heavy price, and VJ Day marks the day Japan surrendered on the 15 August 1945. This in effect, ended the second world war.
Allied fighting against the Japanese in the Asia-Pacific region took place from Hawaii to North East India, with the main fighting force of Britain and the Commonwealth, the Fourteenth Army, operating across Southeast Asia. This army was the one of the most diverse in British military history, with more than 40 languages spoken and all the world’s major religions represented.
Events this week will pay tribute to the tens of thousands of service personnel from across the UK and the Commonwealth who fought and died in the war against Japan, including all those who were held in dreadful conditions as prisoners of war.
Like VE Day, a video had been produced to mark the event virtually:
Image Credits: Kenneth Bird .