King says VJ Day heroes will ‘never be forgotten’
30 minutes agoNoor NanjiBBC News•@NoorNanji
PA MediaKing Charles will honour those whose “service and sacrifice” helped to bring an end to World War Two in a personal message marking the 80th anniversary of VJ Day.
In an audio message recorded earlier this month, the King will vow that those who fought and died in the Pacific and Far East “shall never be forgotten”.
On Friday, the King and Queen, alongside Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, will attend a service of remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire to commemorate the anniversary.
VJ Day, or Victory over Japan Day, is commemorated on 15 August each year, and marks the date in 1945 when Japan surrendered to the Allied forces, ending the war.
An estimated 71,000 soldiers from Britain and the Commonwealth died fighting in Japan, including upwards of 12,000 prisoners of war held in Japanese captivity.
The King’s message is expected to echo, and reflect on, the audio broadcast made by his grandfather, King George VI, 80 years ago, when he announced to the nation and Commonwealth that the war was over.
He will make reference to the experience endured by Prisoners of War, and to the civilians of occupied lands in the region, whose suffering “reminds us that war’s true cost extends beyond battlefields, touching every aspect of life”.
The King will describe how those who fought in the war “gave us more than freedom; they left us the example of how it can and must be protected”, since victory was made possible by close collaboration between nations, “across vast distances, faiths and cultural divides”.
This demonstrated that, “in times of war and in times of peace, the greatest weapons of all are not the arms you bear but the arms you link”, he will say.
Two-minute silence
At Friday’s service, a national two-minute silence will conclude with a flypast from the RAF Red Arrows.
It will be followed by a reception in which the King and Queen will meet veterans who served in the Far East during the Second World War, along with their families.
VJ Day falls more than three months after VE Day, when fighting stopped in Europe following Germany’s surrender.
Events to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VJ Day will conclude with a reception for veterans at Windsor Castle later in the Autumn.