King Charles & Camilla arrive at VJ Day ceremony as monarch hails ‘courage & camaraderie' of heroes on 80th anniversary

The Sun

2 days ago

THE King has hailed the "courage and camaraderie" of heroes who fought in the Pacific and Far East after arriving at a service marking the 80th anniversary of VJ Day.
Appearing today at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire, alongside Camilla the king looked sharp in his full military dress.
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He went on to address those gathered at the memorial alongside Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer as the nation came together to mark VJ Day.
Charles was pictured alongside Camilla saluting as the memorial went on with his wife by his side throughout.
The King spoke out to acknowledged the destruction caused by the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during his speech.
Speaking about the devastation of nuclear weapons The King described the "immense price" on its citizens as one "we pray no nation need ever pay again."
His reflection on nuclear weapons comes at a time of increased concern about the global threat of nuclear conflict.
Charles, Camilla and other senior figures left floral tributes at the memorial earlier today with a two minute silence also observed.
The service drew to a close with a fly-past by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, before the King and Queen attend a reception with Second World War veterans.
Earlier in the day Charles broadcast a six minute audio address to the nation to mark the passing of VJ Day.
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His earlier broadcast echoed that made by his grandfather, King George VI, in 1945.
During the audio message he described how the heroes of VJ Day 'gave us more than freedom – they left us the example of how it can and must be protected'.
His poignant words described the "horrors and heroism witnessed in those furthest fields of combat."
The Prince and Princess of Wales took to social media to add their voice to the remembrance, speaking of an "enduring debt" owed to the greatest generation.
Kate and Wills spoke of an "enduring debt" owed to the greatest generation in a touching tribute.
The message from Kate and Wills came shortly after the King's recorded audio address aired at 7.30am across the UK and Commonwealth.
The King's six-minute message
"For the millions of families gathered around their wireless sets, and for their loved ones still serving far from home, it was the message a battle-weary world had long prayed for. 'The war is over', declared my Grandfather, King George VI, in his address to the nation and Commonwealth on V.J. Day eighty years ago today – four short words after six long years of bloodshed, fear and suffering.
"Seldom can a simple message have resonated with such a potent mix of relief, celebration, and sorrow for those who never lived to see the glow of freedom's new dawn. On this day of profound remembrance, I speak to you in that same spirit of commemoration and celebration as we honour anew all those whose service and sacrifice saw the forces of liberty prevail.
"While that final victory in The Pacific was achieved under the strategic command of our steadfast American allies, the war in South East Asia had reached its climax under the leadership of my great uncle, Lord Mountbatten, from whom I learned so much about the particular horrors and heroism witnessed in those furthest fields of combat. The forces aligned under him comprised over one million men and women, drawn from many different countries, religions and communities, but united by common purpose and indomitable spirit. Twenty-Nine Victoria Crosses bear eloquent testimony to their valour, but I know full well of the toll it took on so many - measured not only in gravestones, but in the mental and physical scars of those who survived.
"Despite the unyielding support of their devoted battlefield commander, General William Slim, the forces on the ground sometimes considered themselves 'the Forgotten Army'. But, as Patron of the now Burma Star Memorial Fund, and having attended one of the great Burma Star Reunions at the Albert Hall with Lord Mountbatten when the Hall was filled with thousands of bemedalled veterans, it has been my privilege to reassure the remaining veterans that they and their fallen comrades shall never be forgotten.
"Nor are they alone in our thoughts today for, high above those monsoon-lashed jungles Allied pilots displayed their own fearless bravery, flying fighters, bombers and transport aircraft into enemy fire and Nature's fury.
"We recall, too, the prisoners of war who endured years of brutal captivity: the starvation, disease and cruelty that tested the very limits of human endurance. Innocent civilian populations of occupied territories faced grievous hardships, too.
"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.
"But in recalling so much suffering, we must not lose sight of how great was the cause and how sweet the victory. For those heroes of V.J. Day gave us more than freedom; they left us the example of how it can and must be protected.
"Countries and communities that had never before fought together learned to co-ordinate their efforts across vast distances, faiths and cultural divides. Together they proved that, in times of war and in times of peace, the greatest weapons of all are not the arms you bear, but the arms you link. That remains a vital lesson for our times.
"So to the families of all those who served, and to that sadly dwindling band of veterans among us
still, 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.
"Let us therefore pledge to be vigilant guardians of the values they bequeathed to us. And let us, above all, remember the epitaph in the Commonwealth War Graves cemetery on the battlefield of Kohima: 'When You Go Home, Tell Them Of Us And Say, For Your Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today."