#VJDAY75

The 75th anniversary of VJ Day (Victory over Japan) commemorated the end of the Second World War.

Whilst 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 bitter fighting in the Far East. Victory over Japan Day (VJ Day) marks the day Japan surrendered on the 15 August 1945, which in effect ended the Second World War.

There are various ways to 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 as prisoners of war by the Japanese. See the dedicated website https://ve-vjday75.gov.uk/ and use the hashtags #VJDay75 and #NeverForgotten to join in online.

How you can take part in #VJDay75 celebrations on August 15, 2020

• Sunrise / 6 am: Waking up to Peace: lone pipers will play at sunrise in the UK and in the Far East.
• 9.30am:Watch the Service of Remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum, which will include music from the Armed Forces, broadcast on BBC One.
• 11am: Take part in the two minute silence, led by His Royal Highness,The Prince of Wales from the National Memorial Arboretum.
• 11.30am-17.30pm: Look up for the Red Arrows, who will take to the skies for a stunning UK-wide flypast over Edinburgh, Belfast, Cardiff and London
• 2pm: In a debate hosted by the National Army Museum, historians will explore the roles on land, sea and air throughout the Far East campaign, and examine how it continues to be commemorated.
• 4pm: Join Second World War veterans Captain Sir Tom Moore and Private Joseph Hammond in this online event in conversation with Dr Peter Johnston of the National Army Museum.
• 8.30pm:Watch ‘VJ Day 75: The Nation’s Tribute’, on BBC One, filmed on Horse Guards Parade with famous faces reading tributes, military bands and dramatic visual projection.
• All day:‘Then and Now’, Look out for His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, who will feature alongside other WW2 veterans on large screens across the country in a poignant photo montage series.