Today, 15th August 2020, is the 75th anniversary of Victory over Japan Day, marking the surrender of Japan and the end of World War Two.
15th August is an important day for our charity too, as we mark our own anniversary. We were formed in 1944, one year before VJ Day, to ensure that soldiers returning from World War Two would be taken care of. Since then, the welfare of soldiers, past and present, has been at the heart of everything we do.
To honour the memory of those who fought in the Far East and commemorate the many personal victories of our Army family since 1945, we have launched a special podcast episode: Voices of VJ Day – Remembering the Forgotten Army.
This episode charts the events of the Burma Campaign, which saw a million men from across the Commonwealth unite against the Japanese. We spoke to General Sir Mike Jackson, General the Lord Richards, the late Dame Vera Lynn’s daughter Virginia Lewis Jones, Griff Rhys Jones, whose father served in Burma and a host of Burma veterans such as 100 year old Peter Heppell, 100 year old Charles Mercer, 98 year old John Giddings MBE, 96 year old John Hutchin, 95 year old Herbert Pritchard and 93 year old Joseph Hammond, who recall what it was like the fight the Japanese in the heat of the jungle, 75 years ago.
Listen now: https://soldierscharity.org/voices-of-vj-day/
