Ceremony to mark VJ day in Newbury - 75 years on

Small service will remember those who fell in Far East campaigns

A CEREMONY to remember Victory over Japan Day will be held in Newbury this month.

On Saturday, August 15 – 75 years to the day after Japan surrendered in the Second World War – a service will be held in the town centre to commemorate the fallen in the campaigns in the Far East.

At 10.45am, mayor Elizabeth O’Keeffe will give a short talk on the town hall steps and the town crier will read a poem, before proceeding to the war memorial in front of St Nicolas’ Church at 10.55am.

There, a small service will be held, with members from the Newbury Royal British Legion bearing standards and wreaths laid.

Newbury British Legion president Janine Westropp said: “We’d be delighted if people would like to come.

“We’re doing a small service, a trumpeter will be there and wreaths will be laid.

“The public are very welcome.

“The war wasn’t over after VE Day – there were still troops fighting in Burma and the Far East right up until the time Japan said they’d had enough.

“We have a small ceremony every year.”

VJ Day is officially recognised in the UK on August 15 – the day when Japan officially announced its surrender and in effect bringing to an end the Second World War.

Its surrender came after the US dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9 respectively, and the Soviet Union declared war on Japan.

On August 10, the Japanese government communicated its intention to surrender under the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, which outlined the terms of its surrender and the limits of what land it would be able to keep.