British veteran, 100, recalls witnessing Japan's Second World War surrender on USS Missouri
Reg Draper was off Japan's coast on the HMS Duke of York when the captain announced the war was ending.
Recalling that moment - 80 years ago today - he said cheers went up from the battleship's crew.
Mr Draper saw the Japanese sign the agreement on USS Missouri when he went on board to help his friend, who was the ship's photographer.
"All the ships mustered in Tokyo Bay with the USS Missouri, which was the American ship, and it was on the Missouri where they signed the peace treaty," the 100-year-old recalled.
"Then we all came back down to Australia and we went and celebrated - we went down to Tasmania and everybody had four days leave in Hobart.
Mr Draper, who grew up in Leeds, was a stores assistant on the Duke of York after volunteering on his 18th birthday.
His duties included rationing out the rum so all the sailors could get their 11am hit. He said senior crew got theirs neat while everyone else had theirs watered down.
He also recalled being clattered by Prince Philip after the Queen's future husband, who was on a destroyer escorting his ship, came aboard.
"We used to have deck hockey on the quarter deck and it was murder playing deck hockey," said Mr Draper.
"He [Philip] knocked me over once and then the next time he came round he hit me, there's still a mark there, he gave me a clout with his hockey stick.
"He came to see me just to see how I was. They just put a stitch in and it was alright."
The pair met again in 1972 when Mr Draper was training sea cadets for the Duke of Edinburgh awards.
He said Philip noticed his medals and recalled escorting the ship - but didn't mention the hockey game.
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Mr Draper's time on the Duke of York included Arctic convoys to deliver supplies to Russia and sailing to Sydney, Australia, in 1945 before joining the East Indies Fleet.
"We started going up to the islands, kicking the Japanese out of the islands as we went," he recalled.
Japan surrendered after the US dropped two nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, on 6 and 9 August.
Mr Draper turned 21 on the trip back to Europe and said 2,000 people were on board as they had picked up prisoners of war.
He went on to become an insurance salesman and said he's planning to watch today's 80th anniversary commemorations from his home in Elton, Cheshire.
The King released an audio message in which he said the sacrifices of VJ Day veterans should "never be forgotten".
He described how the heroic actions of those sent to fight in the Far East, as well as the brutal treatment of civilians, "reminds us that war's true cost extends beyond battlefields, touching every aspect of life".
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BBC News
7 minutes ago
- BBC News
Leeds WW2 veteran, 100, recalls ceremony of Japan's defeat
A World War Two veteran who witnessed the official ceremony marking Japan's surrender has spoken of his memories, 80 years on from the end of the Draper, 100, was a stores assistant on Royal Navy battleship HMS Duke of York, which was sailing off the coast of Japan in August 1945 when the country remembers rationing out a daily tot of rum for every member of the crew and coming off worst in a hockey tackle with Queen Elizabeth II's future husband Prince Philip, then a serving naval Draper, who grew up in Leeds, said the crew cheered when news of Japan's surrender came from the captain. He said: "All the ships mustered in Tokyo Bay with the USS Missouri, which was the American ship, and it was on the Missouri where they signed the peace treaty."Then we all came back down to Australia and we went and celebrated - we went down to Tasmania and everybody had four days' leave in Hobart."He added: "Everybody wanted to take us to their home and there were a couple of dances in the dance hall."Mr Draper volunteered for the Royal Navy on his 18th birthday and said the worst part of joining up was having all his teeth removed after a medical examination found he had problems with his gums. He completed his training at the requisitioned Butlins holiday camp in Skegness and was sent to HMS Ambrose, on a submarine base in Scotland, before serving on HMS Duke of of his duties on ship was handing out the rum for everyone to have an morning tot."I've drunk Navy rum since I've joined up, whenever I could," Mr Draper if that had contributed to his long life, the centenarian said: "Well, that's the only thing I put it down to."Japan surrendered after the US dropped atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Draper said: "We didn't hear much about it until it (news) got to the captain."HMS Duke of York was escorted by two Royal Navy destroyers including HMS Whelp - which Prince Philip, the late Duke of Edinburgh, served on as first Draper said he had a lasting memory of Philip coming on board when the ship was docked. He said: "We used to have deck hockey on the quarterdeck and it was murder playing deck hockey."He knocked me over once and then the next time he came round he hit me, there's still a mark there, he gave me a clout with his hockey stick."Mr Draper turned 21 on the return journey from Japan, with more than 2,000 people on board the ship because they were carrying prisoners of war home. The father-of-two, who went on to work as an insurance salesman, said it took time to adjust to peacetime civilian said: "When we went through the Bay of Biscay at one time it was that rough that the ship's bows would go 24ft up, 24ft down, just like that."You get used to it. Especially if you're in your hammock, it rocks you to sleep." Mr Draper added: "One of the most comfortable sleeps I've had is in a hammock!"The 80th anniversary of Victory in Japan Day (VJ Day) is being marked today with a commemorative event organised by the Royal British Legion at the National Memorial Draper is planning to watch the ceremony on television from his home in Elton, Cheshire. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
King and Queen lead two-minute silence to mark 80 years since VJ Day
Update: Date: 14:15 BST Title: Eighty years on, VJ day reminds us of 'price of freedom' Content: Adam GoldsmithLive reporter Eighty years ago today, World War Two was officially brought to an end with Japan's surrender. Today, the King, Queen and Prime Minister Keir Starmer gathered alongside crowds and veterans at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire to pay their respects to those who fought the Japanese military in Asia. We've got a recap of everything that unfolded, as an emotional ceremony saw veterans take the stage to offer tributes to fallen friends, before the event was capped off by an flypast by historic RAF aircraft. Over in Tokyo, commemorations were also taking place - our correspondent there has more on Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's mention of the word "remorse" in his speech, the first time it has been used by a Japanese leader in more than 10 years. The surrender was ultimately sparked by the US's devastating nuclear strikes on Hiroshima and Nagasaki - and one veteran who witnessed the aftermath of Hiroshima has shared the fright of what he saw on a BBC podcast. And, while the 33 veterans present at the ceremony were celebrated for their sacrifice, the cost of war was laid bare in moving testimony. After one veteran paid tribute to a fallen friend, 101 year-old George Durrant reminded the crowds that he was present "not as a hero but as someone who witnessed the price of freedom". That brings our live page to a close, but we've got further coverage of Victory in Japan day across the BBC: Update: Date: 13:56 BST Title: The little-known history of comfort women in Indonesia Content: Ayomi AmindoniBBC Indonesia Warning: this post contains distressing details Under Japanese occupation, hundreds of thousands in Asia - from South Korea to China to the Philippines - were taken as 'comfort women', forced into sexual slavery for Japanese soldiers during World War Two. In Indonesia, the stories of these women - also known as 'ianfu' - were largely buried until the 1990s, when Tuminah, from the city of Solo, became the first survivor to speak out about the sexual violence she had endured. She had been working as a sex worker in 1944 when she was rounded up by Japanese military police and held in a brothel along with other women. "In that hotel, I was there for days, I was very tired, both mentally and physically,' Tuminah's niece, Hening Saptaningsih, recalled her saying. 'If I could choose, I wouldn't want to live like that, because it's painful for me.' Tuminah's testimony has encouraged other Indonesian survivors to come forward. Some of girls had been taken to similar premises, under false promises of becoming actors in a travelling troupe. Another survivor previously told BBC Indonesian that she was only nine years old when a Japanese officer raped her for four days straight. Japan has issued formal apologies for the comfort women issue, but these efforts have been deemed insincere by some survivors and advocates. Meanwhile, some Indonesians say their own government has failed comfort women seeking reparations and closure. "How can I put it? Indonesia seems to have forgotten about the ianfu issue,' Hening told BBC Indonesia. It's 'futile' to ask for measures to 'improve their status', she said. 'The Indonesian government won't listen.' Update: Date: 13:49 BST Title: Sons paid respect for their fathers' service in Cardiff on Thursday Content: David GrundyBBC Wales The Wales National War Memorial in Cardiff was the focus of VJ Day events in Wales yesterday. Deputy First Minister, Huw Irranca-Davies MS, was joined by Masaki Ikegami, Deputy Ambassador for the Japanese Embassy in the UK, and laid wreaths at the memorial. Irranca-Davies said the event was 'very important' to 'focus on peace and seek peace and reconciliation'. Representatives from all faith communities were present for the service led by Canon Aled Edwards, who said: 'We need to make a powerful statement in the modern world that we do still have to strive for peace." Colin Rogers travelled from Welshpool in Powys with a photo of his father Jack, who fought in Burma (now Myanmar). 'They were called the forgotten army,' he said, pointing out that the focus had been on the end of the war in Europe while the fighting went on in Asia for another three months. Terrence Herron, from Britannia near Aberbargoed in Caerphilly County, wore his father's medals to the service. "My father was in Burma, luckily enough he came back, and he went to North Africa as well, so he did his bit. "When he was dying you know, was the only time he told me where he went. They didn't back then, and I don't know what they went through." Update: Date: 13:36 BST Title: VJ Day recap: Veterans moved to tears as King, Queen and PM watch moving ceremony Content: Let's recap what we've just seen as the UK commemorated 80 years since the end of World War Two. Update: Date: 13:24 BST Title: 'You'd never heard such a cheer in your life' Content: Ashitha NageshReporting from the National Memorial Arboretum Edward Hadfield, 100, served in the 8th Punjab regiment in Burma. He was sailing from Chennai, then known as Madras, in south India when they heard the war was over. "You've never heard such a cheer in your life," he tells the BBC. "The war was over, and you were alive, and I was alive." However, he says that today he's remembering his many good friends who didn't survive the war. "They gave our today so we can have our tomorrow." Update: Date: 13:18 BST Title: Glasgow veterans remember all those who served Content: Gillian SharpeBBC Scotland Earlier this morning, veterans from The Erskine Home in Bishopton, near Glasgow were joined by family and supporters to mark the 80th anniversary of VJ day. The group crossed the Erskine Bridge in tribute to those who served at the end of the World War Two. Ninety-year-old veteran, Norman Seymour, who served alongside the Gurkas in Malaya (now Malaysia), laid a wreath at the VJ Memorial Stone at the home. Originally from Sunderland but now living in Scotland, he was just ten years old when the war ended but remembers street parties. Of today's walk he says it "was my way of honouring those who didn't come home". "It was an emotional day but also uplifting to see so many people coming together." Update: Date: 13:13 BST Title: Fly-past marks end of VJ Day anniversary ceremony Content: As the commemorations come to a close, the crowds at the National Memorial Arboretum look to the skies, where a Battle of Britain memorial fly past takes place. Above is a Lancaster bomber, flanked on either side by a Hurricane and Spitfire. Update: Date: 13:11 BST Title: 'I speak to you as someone who witnessed the price of freedom' Content: The ceremony has also heard from war veteran George Durrant, who was joined on stage by his great-granddaughter Elsbeth. He served in Burma (now Myanmar) from April 1944 until the end of the war. "People always talk about how brave we were," he says. "But few of us thought that way." "At the time, we just thought that we were there to do our duty," he continues. "I speak to you now not as a hero but as someone who witnessed the price of freedom." He adds that the next generation must remember the veterans' sacrifices "so that they can strive for a more peaceful tomorrow". Update: Date: 13:08 BST Title: British Indian Army veteran salutes King and reads from war diary Content: Captain Yavar Abbas, who served in the 11th Sikh regiment of the British Indian Army, has just read an excerpt from his war diary, preserved "lovingly" by his late wife "perhaps for just such an occasion". But before his reading, he apologises for going "briefly off-script" to salute "my brave King" who is there in spite of his ongoing cancer treatment. The King and Queen both look moved by his words, as Abbas says cancer is an illness that he and the monarch share - and that if it provides any comfort, he has been "rid of it for 25 years and counting", which is met by applause. "Tomorrow, I hope I will live to do better things," the 104-year-old reads from an entry dated 8 February 1945. "I could have been dead twice before, but I'm still living. I would be surprised if I get a life for a third time. May god spare me." This video can not be played Cancer survivor goes off script and pays tribute to King Update: Date: 12:55 BST Title: Tribute paid to contribution from British Commonwealth soldiers Content: A tribute has just been read by poet Sir Ben Okri. Called 'Burma, 1945: Sacrifice', the reading focuses on the contributions of soldiers who had enlisted from countries in the British Commonwealth to fight in Burma (now Myanmar). Okri then reads out the names of some, who he says were "among millions from Britain, Africa and old India, from farms and villages in ancient kingdoms" who fought. "It is in a stellar light that we remember their underrated sacrifice," he reads. Update: Date: 12:47 BST Title: 'We all prayed for freedom': Indian Army POW account read out Content: We've just heard from retired Col Mohammad Ghani Rashdi, an officer in the Indian Army who was captured when Singapore fell to the Japanese. The 104-year-old was unable to be present today, so actor Nitin Ganatra is read his account on his behalf. "I try not to think to often of my time at the camp," he says. He explains that when his grandchildren would ask him, he would tell of the "cruel Japanese guards", the beatings and treatment "like donkeys" working all day with little food. "Despite this, the Japanese would taunt us by putting pork in front of Muslims and beef in front of Hindus, What food there was, was often contaminated with insects," he says. "My prayers were the only thing that kept me going. I used to pray everyday to leave - everyone did. We all prayed to a different god but we all prayed for the same thing - freedom." After spending more than three years in the camp, he says he began to believe he would never leave, but then "one day, it happened". "It was like being a bird that's been caged for many years and fluttering its wings and flying." He ends his account with a final message: "Never walk with anger, let calmness lead the way." Actor Nitin Ganatra read Mohammad Ghani Rashdi's account on his behalf Update: Date: 12:42 BST Title: Submarine veteran moved to tears by tribute read in his name Content: Veteran John Harlow is visibly moved to tears when a tribute is read out on his behalf by actor Anton Lesser. It describes how Harlow served as a submariner in east Asia for two years, after volunteering for the Navy aged 16. His job, Lesser reads, was to lay explosive mines when a sister ship went down in 1945. The ship, called HMS Porpoise, had been attacked by a Japanese bomber and was never heard from again. "War doesn't grant you the luxury of goodbyes," the actor reads, as Harlow describes how each VJ Day he thinks of a friend who was killed on HMS Porpoise. "I wish today for us to remember all the crew of HMS Porpoise, Mark, and all lost at sea," Harlow's speech says. "For in remembering, they live on." Update: Date: 12:41 BST Title: In pictures: King, Queen and PM watch moving VJ Day memorial Content: Update: Date: 12:34 BST Title: 'I always think of what was done to them, but especially today' Content: Sara GirvinIreland Correspondent, in Lagan Valley Island The sun is shining on Lagan Valley Island in Lisburn, County Antrim. It's hosting today's VJ Day 80 commemoration event where a two minute silence followed a wreath laying ceremony. Bagpipes are being tuned ahead of a public parade by the National Malaya and Borneo Veterans Association (NMBVA). Later, an outdoor service honouring those who served in Asia, including local war hero and medical pioneer - Professor Frank Pantridge, will also take place. He was a former prisoner and military doctor who survived captivity and was later credited with transforming emergency medicine by inventing the portable defibrillator. Scores of armed forces representatives are here but also attending today's commemoration is veteran Tommy Doherty. Tommy Doherty Even at 98, he still vividly remembers serving in the RAF in Singapore during the thoughts today are with prisoners of war. He recalls talking to former prisoners who felt forgotten about, after the end of the conflict in Europe. "The Germans are beat and the war is over there and the people are all dancing about and having beers and this, that and the other thing and they've just left us just prisoners," he remembers one telling him. "I always think of what was done to them, but especially today". Update: Date: 12:23 BST Title: 'I was a prisoner of war as a baby' Content: Ashitha NageshReporting from the National Memorial Arboretum Katharine Canning, 83, tells BBC News she was just 11 months old when she and her family were declared 'enemy aliens' by Japan. She, her parents and her brother were taken to what would become known as Weihsien Internment Camp in Japanese-occupied China. Her parents had a third baby while imprisoned there. Her memories, she tells us, are patchy - but vivid. 'I remember digging around for rusty nails in the rubble, because everything was precious,' she says. 'I remember throwing water on my father and thinking it was funny, and laughing — but he was very angry, because that was our entire day's water supply.' Katharine also recalls being rescued by paratroopers on VJ Day, when she was three years old. She lost one of her dug-out treasures, a piece of broken china, in the paratrooper's parachute bag. Update: Date: 12:19 BST Title: Celia Imrie says 'spirit and determination' of those who fought will not be forgotten Content: Actress Celia Imrie has just paid tribute to all who fought and gave their lives during World War Two. "Your spirit and determination in the face of unspeakable horrors will not be forgotten", she says. Update: Date: 12:17 BST Title: Battle of Kohima memorial read by British Army veteran Content: British Army veteran Owen Filer has just read the dedication written on the Kohima Epitaph, laid in memory of the Battle of Kohima, which took place in 1944 in northeast India near Burma (now Myanmar). "When you go home, tell them of us and say, for your tomorrow, we gave our today," the 103-year-old says. Update: Date: 12:14 BST Title: Last Post and tribute to veterans heard before silence Content: Just before the two minutes' silence, we heard from 101-year-old former RAF pilot Ron Gumbley, who read an excerpt of Laurence Binyon's poem For The Fallen. That was followed by a rendition of The Last Post - a sound that has become synonymous with war time commemorations. Update: Date: 12:11 BST Title: A moving ceremony in blazing sunshine Content: Ashitha NageshReporting from the National Memorial Arboretum The service at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire is already extremely moving. But the temperature has crept up to about 25C, and guests are sitting in direct sunlight. Some people have come prepared with white parasols. Others are having to make do with fanning themselves with their programmes. Update: Date: 12:09 BST Title: Watch: Red Arrows perform flypast as veterans and royals mark 80 years since VJ Day Content: This video can not be played Royal Air Force Red Arrows fly past ceremony to mark VJ Day The Royal Air Force Red Arrows have just flown past the ceremony, as the attendees watched on in contemplative silence. The ceremony has resumed, with readings from veterans and military bands playing, while members of the armed forces march.
BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
East Surrey Museum displays historic VJ Day silk handkerchief
To mark the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, a museum in Surrey has shared memories of Allied soldiers who fought in the Far East campaign. The conflict was brought to a conclusion when two atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leading to Japan's surrender on 15 August 1945 - and also ending World War Two. Now 80 years on, relics from the Far East commemorating the occasion are on display in East Surrey Museum, in such memento is a handkerchief with a map of Japan printed on parachute silk, donated by the family of Surrey serviceman Robert William Layfield - a navigator who flew to Japan to survey the islands for enemy activity. 'Terrible nightmares' His daughter Maureen Charman said: "My father undertook other missions, including rescuing naval personnel shipwrecked in the Pacific."He had seen kamikaze pilots diving into ships, POWs released from concentration camps and the aftermath of the atomic bombs."Ms Charman, who lives in Caterham, said he was traumatised by the events."He sometimes had terrible nightmares and he suffered from fever due to contracting malaria while fighting in the jungle," she said. "It took years for the disease to get out of his system."Curator Peter Connelly said the handkerchief was a "gem".He added Mr Layfield purchased the handkerchief to wrap some pearls he had bought to take home to his sweetheart when he returned to the UK. "While many lives were lost ending this war, this was a historic event and needs to be remembered," Mr Connelly said the design printed on the handkerchief was inspired by the jubilation of the surrender of Japan."It is believed the handkerchief was printed after the formal surrender ceremony, which was 2 September 1945," he Connelly believed the handkerchief was printed in the Far East and servicemen took it home with them to remember how they played a role in ending the conflict. "These items evoke a lot of memories of what it was like fighting and surviving in such nightmarish times," he added."They were horrific times, but we owe it to the next generations - educating them so we avoid history repeating itself."The handkerchief is printed with frangipane blossoms and flags of the nations involved - the UK, USA, Australia and Chinese flag featured was used by the Kuomintang Party when it ruled China before they were overthrown by the Communist Party in 1949. Mr Connelly said these handkerchiefs are also in museums in USA, Australia and New to the Imperial War Museum website, there is at least one such handkerchief in its collection.
