King and Queen hail heroes' courage on VJ Day with national two-minute silence
King Charles has hailed the “courage and camaraderie” of heroes who fought in the Pacific and Far East on the 80th anniversary of VJ Day.
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Alongside Queen Camilla, the King led a two-minute silence a midday whilst attending a national service of remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire.
Speaking in front of 33 veterans, aged from 96 to 105, who served in the Far East and Pacific, the monarch celebrated the heroes who fought in “humanity’s darkest hour” as “a flame that shall blaze for eternity”
The event, hosted by the Royal British Legion in partnership with the Government, marked the anniversary of the end of World War II.
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Charles also significantly acknowledged the devastation caused by the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki which led to Japan’s surrender, describing the “immense price” on its citizens as one “we pray no nation need ever pay again”.
His reflection on the nuclear attacks, which paved the way for the end of the Second World War, comes at a time of increased concern about the global threat of nuclear conflict.
By 1945, some 365,000 British and 1.5 million Commonwealth troops had been deployed across Asia and the Pacific.
More than 90,000 British troops were casualties in the war against Japan, and nearly 30,000 died, while more than 12,000 Britons were among the 190,000 Commonwealth troops held as Prisoners of War by the Japanese.
Of the Allied forces, the US suffered the greatest losses, with more than 100,000 killed in action.
In Hiroshima and Nagasaki, more than 200,000 people were killed by the US bombs and in the months after succumbing to radiation sickness, the effects of burns and other serious injuries.
In an audio message to the nation, realms and Commonwealth, the King spoke of the horrors faced by allied prisoners of war “who endured years of brutal captivity: the starvation, disease and cruelty that tested the very limits of human endurance”, and the “mental and physical scars” the war left on those who survived.
And he vowed the service and sacrifice of VJ Day heroes “shall never be forgotten”, telling their families and the “sadly dwindling band of veterans”: “Please know that the courage and camaraderie displayed in humanity’s darkest hour is a flame that shall blaze for eternity – a beacon that honours our past and guides our future.”
The King, in what is believed to be the most direct reference by a British monarch to the suffering in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, said it was right to pause and acknowledge the impact of the “war’s final act” on the people of the Japanese cities.
“Innocent civilian populations of occupied territories faced grievous hardships, too,” he said in the broadcast released at 7.30am on Friday
“Their experience reminds us that war’s true cost extends beyond battlefields, touching every aspect of life – a tragedy all-too vividly demonstrated by conflicts around the world today.
“On this landmark anniversary, we should also pause to acknowledge that in the war’s final act, an immense price was paid by the citizens of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – a price we pray no nation need ever pay again.”