Earlier today, the Royal British Legion, in partnership with the Government hosted 35 Second World War veterans as guests of honour at a Service of Remembrance at the base of the Armed Forces Memorial to mark the 80th Anniversary of VJ Day on Friday 15 August.
Attended by His Majesty The King, The Queen, and the Prime Minister, the event honoured the British, Commonwealth and Allied Veterans who served in the Far East theatres of war including Burma, now Myanmar, the Pacific and Indian Ocean Territories.
Around 1,500 guests attended the service at the base of the Armed Forces Memorial. Thousands more members of the public watched a screening of the service on the Naval Review.
The event paid tribute to those who fought and died during the War in the Far East and featured moving first hand testimony from VJ Day Veterans who experienced the conflict. Hosted by acclaimed actress and author Celia Imrie, the service began with a national two-minute silence and included flypasts by the Red Arrows and historic aircraft from The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.
Veterans attending the event served in the British Army, the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force, with roles ranging from those deployed in submarines, minesweepers and destroyers, to a Spitfire pilot and a combat cameraman. Captain Yavar Abbas, 105, who served in the 11th Sikh regiment of the British Army as a combat cameraman was one of the veterans whose moving reflections featured in the service. Armed with a camera and a jeep, Yavar documented the brutality of war in the Far East. During the event he read an excerpt from his war diary in which, on the 8 February 1945, he wrote “Tomorrow, I hope I will live to do better things.”
Actor Anton Lesser read out a moving tribute from John Harlow, 100, who served as a telegraphist on the minelaying submarine HMS Rorqual. In his testimony he reflected on the loss of a close friend. “War doesn’t grant you the luxury of goodbyes…Every year on VJ Day I think of a close friend of mine that was onboard Mark Webber. Our paths mirrored one another. We did our training together, we became telegraphists, and we’d share stories over a cold drink back at the base. It could so easily have been me. I wish today to remember all those of HMS Porpoise, Mark and all lost at sea”
The experiences of Olga Henderson and Barbara Sowerby, who were interned as Prisoners of War in the Far East as children, alongside the recollections of former Chindits Sid Machin and Charlie Richards were also featured. Army Veteran George Durrant also shared his reflections on stage alongside his great-granddaughter Elsbeth.
You can catch up and watch the full service online now on the BBC iPlayer.
In 2025 we are reflecting upon and remembering the significant events that brought about the end of the Second World War and marking the anniversaries of both VE and VJ Day. The Year Was 1945… a series of exhibitions, events, talks and tours that open a window in time to 1945, sharing the stories of those who lived and served 80 year ago.