VJ Day anniversary commemorations

The bravery of all who served in the Far East during the Second World War will be remembered at a special service at Norwich Cathedral to mark the 80th anniversary of VJ Day on 15 August.

Members of the public are this week invited to apply for tickets to the service. The deadline for applications is Sunday 3 August.

While VE Day marked the end of the war in Europe in May 1945, many thousands of Armed Forces personnel were still engaged in combat in the Far East for a further three months after this.

VJ Day (Victory over Japan Day) marks the day Japan surrendered on 15 August 1945, which ended the Second World War.

A Service of Thanksgiving and Remembrance on the 80th anniversary of VJ Day will take place at Norwich Cathedral at 11am on Friday 15 August, with a parade through the Cathedral Close at 10.30am and a flypast of a Dakota aircraft planned for 12.40pm.

The national two-minute silence at 12 noon will also be observed as part of the service.

The service has been organised in partnership with NFFWRA, the National FEPOW Fellowship Welfare Remembrance Association, which provides support to former Far East Prisoners of War, their wives and widows.

The Revd Canon Aidan Platten, the Cathedral’s Canon Precentor, who is overseeing the planning for the service, said: “It is a real privilege to be hosting the national VJ Commemoration Service here in Norwich. Many of those who were Far East Prisoners of War had travelled from the eastern region of England and the first Kohima memorial now resides in the cathedral.

“During the service we will remember those who lost their lives in service of our nation and in the cause of peace. We will remember and hear the words of those who suffered the horrors of imprisonment, and in these dangerous and uncertain days, we will commit ourselves to strive for peace.”

The service will be sung by Norwich Cathedral Choir, and Bishop Peter Eagles, a former Army Chaplain, will be preaching.

Entry will be by ticket only and members of the public can apply for tickets at www.nationalfepowfellowship.org.uk or by clicking on the button below.

The deadline to apply for tickets is Sunday 3 August.

Please note that on Friday 15 August, the Cathedral and Cloister will be closed to general visitors from 9am, with the Cathedral reopening at 12.45pm and the Cloister reopening at 1pm.

Far East Prisoners of War: The Experience and The Legacy

The day after the VJ Day service, The Royal Norfolk Regimental Museum will be presenting an event called Far East Prisoners of War: The Experience and The Legacy in the Town Close Auditorium at Norwich Castle.

The event, from 10.30am until 2pm on Saturday 16 August, will feature talks, film and drama commemorating those of the Royal Norfolk Regiment who became FEPOWs. For more information, visit https://www.museums.norfolk.gov.uk/article/70575/Far-East-Prisoners-of-War-The-Experience--The-Legacy

Top picture: FEPOWs celebrating release

Second picture: The Kohima Memorial

Third picture: Voluntary P.T. on board HMS Implacable for ex-FEPOWs regaining some strength and fitness on the long journey home

Picture credit for the top and third images: Royal Norfolk Regimental Museum

Picture credit for second picture: Bill Smith