Two minute silence on Friday 15th August to mark the 80th anniversary of VJ day

 Following the VE day commemorations in May this year to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, VJ Day 80 on Friday will mark the anniversary of the final end of the war.

A series of events will be held in Britain and around the world, although the USA commemorates VJ day a few days later than we do.

In Britain:

• There will  be an event at the National Memorial Arboretum to honour VJ veterans which will be broadcast live
• The Red Arrows will join historic Spitfire and Hurricane aircraft for a flypast over national VJ Day 80 commemorations

Members of the public are encouraged to participate in a national two-minute silence at noon BST on Friday 15 August to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. 

A Service of Remembrance will honour and remember those who fought and died during the Second World War in the Far East at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, which will be broadcast live on BBC1 from midday. 

It will host a spectacular tribute to veterans involving 400 members of the Armed Forces, the Red Arrows and historic aircraft from The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

This follows four days of events in May to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day, which marked the end of the Second World War in Europe. 

However, at that time 80 years ago, thousands of British and Commonwealth military personnel continued to fight Japanese forces in Asia and the Pacific for a further three months when Victory over Japan (VJ Day) was declared on 15 August 1945, following Imperial Japan’s surrender to Allied Forces. Alongside British Armed Forces, hundreds of thousands of people served in the Far East from countries including pre-partition India, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Nepal and from African nations.

We should not forget how difficult the war in the Far East was. British and allied prisoners of war, and Chinese and other civilians, were treated with unspeakable barbarity, and Japanese civilians were encouraged to mass commit suicide in the entirely false belief that Japanese women and children would face equivalent cruelties as reprisals.  

As the final end to hostilities was approaching, the Commander in Chief of the British Pacific Fleet, concerned that fanatic Kamikaze pilots might not honour the surrender, sent a signal ordering that any unidentified aircraft approaching the fleet after the fighting was supposed to stop were to be "shot down in a friendly manner." 

The VJ day Service of Remembrance will be run in partnership with the Royal British Legion and will be attended by Second World War veterans, VJ association members, senior politicians, and military personnel. It will pay tribute to the British, Commonwealth and Allied veterans who served in the Far East theatres of war, the Pacific and Indian Ocean territories.

The event will include a guard of honour of Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force and music provided by military bands. The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight will lead a breathtaking flypast featuring the historic Dakota, Hurricane and Spitfire aircrafts. 

Veterans attending will include Burma Star recipients, British Indian Army veterans and those involved in the Battles of Kohima and Imphal, as well as Prisoners of War held across the region and veterans stationed in the UK or Commonwealth countries, who contributed to the war effort. 

The service is a ticketed event, but members of the public visiting the Arboretum on the day are invited to observe the two-minute silence and watch the service on large screens at a nearby public viewing area.

Mark Atkinson, Director General of the Royal British Legion, said: 

"We encourage everyone across the country to take a moment to reflect during the two-minute silence on VJ Day, to watch the Service of Remembrance live on the BBC or at the Arboretum, and pay tribute to those from Britain and across the Commonwealth who fought in the Far East in the Second World War. 

It was so moving to see the nation come together for VE80 and to be putting veterans at the heart of these commemorations - now we have one of our last chances to honour all those VJ Day veterans whose service and sacrifice finally brought an end to the War."

Second World War veteran and RBL ambassador Tom Berry, 101, from Cheshire, who was serving on HMS Tartar in the Pacific when Japan surrendered, said:

"For veterans like me and all those who carried on fighting until VJ Day was announced, this will be a very emotional day – a moment in history. I’ll be watching the service at home, and I’d ask the country to do the same – to stop and remember all those who gave so much for our freedoms, and those who never made it back."

The national commemorations will commence with a government reception to celebrate VJ Day with veterans.  

Government buildings and High Commissions across the globe will also be lit up on 15 August to commemorate VJ Day. 

In addition, Imperial War Museums (IWM) will be screening I Saw The World End, a digital public artwork by celebrated artist and designer Es Devlin, at Piccadilly Circus on Wednesday 6th August to commemorate the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.