Celebrate V J 75.

Merton Heritage Service has produced a range of resources to mark the 75th anniversary of Victory over Japan Day ( 15 August 1945 ), celebrating the end of World War 2 and the courage of the wartime generation.

We hope that these resources will help Merton residents and those living farther afield to learn more about this pivotal moment in world history and enable them to share their own family heritage.

Online Displays:

Click on the links below to access more pictures and information about World War II in the Far East.

British army mortar crew in the Far East

The Far East Campaign  ( NAM )

Britain's War in the Far East ( IWM )

The Role of the Chindits

Merton Newspaper Reports

 

Squadron Leader Arthur Scarf VC

Squadron Leader Arthur Scarf VC

Prince's tribute to Arthur Scarf

Taiping Military Cemetery

VJ Day in London August 1945

What is VJ Day? ( BBC: for children)

VJ Day Celebrations ( IWM )

VJ Day : Facts & Figures ( Independent )

 

 

VJ : Words and Pictures

Follow the links below to find poems, music and archive film about the Far Eastern campaign and the end of World War II.

British troops fighting in Burma

Burma Campaign: Poetry

Uncle Harry's poem ( Chindits )

Harold Evans RAF ( Poem )

Sonkurai Labour Camp ( Poem )

 

Wounded West African troops in Burma

British troops in Burma (1940 )

Britain's Forgotten War (IWM)

British troops near Mandalay

West African troops in Burma

 

Vera Lynn meets 14th Army troops in Burma

Gurkhas in the Far East 1945

Vera Lynn meeting 14th army troops

Allied troops in Burma

Bridge On the River Kwai ( Theme )

 

Hiroshima bombing 1945

 Hiroshima Bombing ( archive film )

Hiroshima ( Archive photos )

 

Japanese surrender at Singapore 1945

Japanese Surrender at Singapore

Japanese Surrender to Mountbatten

Japanese Surrender ( colour film )

VJ Day Parade, London 1945

VJ Day in London

Colour footage of VJ Day in London

2nd Infantry return to the UK

Far East prisoners return home

 

VJ: Reminiscence Material

Click on the links below to access the personal recollections of wartime veterans

Gurkhas in action in the Far Eastern campaign

Tom Simkins MBE

Burma Veteran Jim Leech

Memories of Jack Jennings

Havildar Bhanbhagta Gurung

Major Messerby meeting British and indian troops

Rajindar Chatt Singh

Joseph Hammond : W. Africa Division

Vera Lynn in Burma

Memories of UK veteran

Memories of British POWs

Burma-Thai Railway

Memories of the Death Railway

Prisoner Under the Rising Sun

Fergus Anckhorn: POW

Coming Home After VJ Day

 

VJ: Test Your Knowledge

Allied troops fighting in the Far East

The War Against Japan Quiz

Quiz Answers

 

 

VJ Day logo

 

Troops in the Far East

VJ Day Wordsearch

VJ Day Wordsearch Answers

 

VJ Craft Activities:

VJ Day Bunting

Make your own VJ Day Bunting

Cut out and colour VJ Day Bunting

Colouring Heroes Bunting

Origami crane

Add to the Children's Peace Monument

( Make a paper Crane - online tutorial )

VJ Day Heroes

VJ Day - Thank You

V for Victory

VJ Heroes

Assorted V J Colouring sheets

Where can I find more information?

If you would like to know more about an ancestor who fought in the Far East or spent time as a Prisoner of War, the following links will show you how and where to find more information.

Fall of Singapore

National Archives extracts feature transcripts and audio files.

Although aimed at a school audience, they provide access to original sources which can normally only be seen at the archives in Kew.

The Fall of Singapore and Burma’s ‘Forgotten Army

Pearl Harbor, Iwo Jima and the  Atom Bomb

At present if you register with the National Archives and create an account ( at no extra cost,) you can access free downloads of :

Military honours & awards 1935 - 90

( Normally there would be a £3.50 charge for downloading this material. )

Victory newspaper 1945

You can browse a range of wartime newspapers online.

The British Newspaper Archive offers a free trial period and subscription access.

The Australian Newspaper Archive can be searched free of charge and holds a wealth of wartime material.









 

 

British POWS in Japanese camp

Prisoner of War records:

Material held by the National Archives has been digitised and is available ( for a fee ) via Find My Past.

Further information on POWs is also available from:

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission

International Red Cross Archives

For details of life as a POW visit:

COFEPOW  - its Research database holds everything from stories and casualty lists to liberation questionnaires

 

 

Refugees trek from Burma to escape the Japanese

In March 1942, thousands of British and Indian civilians fled Burma when Japanese troops arrived.

When Rangoon fell into Japanese hands sea and air routes were closed off – the only alternative was to walk north to India, a journey which took up to three months.

Around 220,000 refugees survived.

The Anglo-Burmese Library has copies of the official reports, evacuee lists and diaries as well as personal recollections. 

 

Fall of Singapore

Follow this links for recollections about  the Fall of Singapore.

This BBC page features links to multiple personal accounts of the Japanese invasion and the eventual surrender of British troops.

 

 

 

 

 

British troops in Burma, World War Ii

For personal accounts of military service and fighting in India, Burma and Malaysia, click on this link to the:

  BBC People's War website

 

 

 

 

 

 

How can I preserve my family's war stories?

Share your memories with Merton Heritage Service.

We are keen to ensure that the memories and experiences of those who fought in the Far East are preserved for posterity. If you, or one of your friends or relatives served in this campaign and would like to share your stories, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please contact Merton Heritage Service by email: local.studies@merton.gov.uk or you can write to:

Merton Heritage Centre, Merton Civic Centre, London Rd. Morden SM4 5DX.

Add an entry to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Website.

You can pay a simple tribute to a friend or relative by uploading a photo or memory to the Wall of Remembrance

Merton During World War II

For more information about Merton during the Second World War, click on this link to our Battle of Britain and VE Day resources.