The 75th anniversary of V J Day.
Posted on 11th Aug 2020 by Sarah Gould
15 August 2020 marks 75 years since the declaration of Victory over Japan Day. On this date in 1945, people across Merton and the UK as a whole celebrated the formal surrender of Japanese forces and the end of World War II.
Six years of conflict had changed the world forever - nearly 400,000 British men and women lost their lives during the war, including 60,000 killed by enemy bombing. Thousands of men and women from across the world also supported the Allied cause, including servicemen from Africa, Australia, Canada, the Caribbean, India, Nepal, New Zealand and the USA. Many paid the ultimate price and lie buried in war graves far from their homes and families.
To mark this historic anniversary and to honour those who served in the Far Eastern campaign, Merton Heritage Service has compiled a range of VJ Day resources. These include online displays, reminiscence material, films, poems, puzzles and craft activities.
To view our new resources, simply click on the Celebrate VJ 75 link.
We hope you will find this material interesting and that you will take some time on 15 August to remember the wartime generation. Their courage, determination and the sacrifices they made should never be forgotten.
