Kirk of Calder congregation marks VJ Day with moving commemoration in West Lothian
A congregation from a church in West Lothian paid tribute to the fallen as they commemorated the 80th anniversary of the end of the war with Japan.
VJ Day marks the date that Japanese forces announced their surrender to the Allies – August 15, 1945 – and finally brought World War II to an end.
The Japanese government would officially sign a written declaration of surrender weeks later on September 2.
The congregation of Kirk of Calder gathered to honour and pay tribute to the WWII generation from across the UK and the Commonwealth.
After a moving service focusing on the war in the Far East, Reverend William Watt led the commemoration at the Mid Calder War Memorial Arch and a poppy wreath was placed on the gates of the arch.
Japan paid a terrible price in August 1945 with the loss of around 230,000 civilian lives, residents of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, after the two cities were hit with atomic bombs in the days prior to surrender.
It's estimated up to 166,000 died in the attack on Hiroshima on August 6, around 10,000 of them soldiers, and another 80,000 died three days later when Nagasaki was hit, just 150 were soldiers.
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Wales Online
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Veteran, 100, witnessed official ceremony marking Japan's surrender
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Wales Online
an hour ago
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Veteran says horrors of war ‘should never be forgotten' on anniversary of VJ Day
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BBC News
2 hours ago
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What was VJ Day? The moment World War Two ended
The world had been at war for six long on the 15 August 1945, Victory over Japan Day - or VJ Day - the guns finally fell silent. The fighting stopped and people across the world breathed a sigh of relief. World War II was over. What does VJ Day stand for? VJ Day stands for Victory over Japan Day. It's the name given to the day in August 1945 when Japan surrendered, bringing the Second World War to a complete that year, on 8 May, Germany had surrendered - this was VE Day (Victory in Europe Day). But while the war was over in Europe, it had still been raging in Asia and the Pacific. Many soldiers, sailors and airmen from the Allies - which included the UK, USA and USSR - were still fighting against Day came three months later, ending the war estimated 71,000 soldiers from Britain and Commonwealth countries died fighting Japan, including more than 12,000 prisoners of war who died in Japanese captivity. Why was World War II still going on? In the 1930s, Japan had been expanding its empire, invading China and other parts of Asia. By 1940 it had become allies with Nazi Germany and Italy, together known as the Axis in December 1941, Japan attacked a US Navy base at Pearl Harbour, in Hawaii, bringing the United States into the war. Around the same time, Japan attacked parts of the British Empire - including Hong Kong, Malaya, Singapore, and Britain and its Empire were fighting not just in Europe against Nazi Germany - but in Asia from Australia, India, Canada and African colonies joined the fight in jungles, on islands, and across vast mountains. Millions of troops from across the British Empire The war in the East was brutal. Soldiers faced extreme heat, tropical diseases, and dangerous were captured and became prisoners of war (POWs). Life in prison camps was often terrible: prisoners were given little food, made to work in harsh conditions, and suffered illness and injury. Some never made it home. Why did Japan surrender in WWII? Even after Germany's defeat in May 1945, Japan kept fighting. The Allies prepared for a possible invasion of Japan itself - but this could have cost many in August 1945, the United States decided to use the most powerful weapon the world had ever seen: Atomic bombs. The first bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, followed three days later by a second, on the city of Nagasaki. The devastation was instant and enormous. Tens of thousands of people were killed immediately, and many more died later from injuries and radiation caused by the days after the bomb on Nagasaki, Japan surrendered. These are still the only atomic weapons ever used in war, and their devastating power has meant countries have avoided using them again. Who announced VJ Day? US President Harry S Truman broke the news of Japan's surrender at a press conference at the White House at 7pm on 14 August. Later at midnight the UK's recently elected Prime Minister Clement Attlee spoke to the British public in a radio broadcast. "Japan has today surrendered," he said. "The last of our enemy is laid low. Peace has once again come to the world."The following day, 15 August 1945, Japan's Emperor Hirohito was heard on the radio for the first time ever when he announced the surrender. Following the news, people poured into the streets to London, crowds filled Piccadilly Circus and gathered outside Buckingham Palace. Millions of people from the allied countries took part in parades and street sang, danced, waved flags, and hugged friends and strangers. Why is VJ Day important today? World War Two was the deadliest conflict in history, involving over 60 countries and causing the deaths of around 70 million Day was not just about celebration - it was also about remembering. Remembering those who fought, those who suffered, and those who never returned home. Reflecting on the impact of the Second World War, King George VI said in a broadcast: "There is not one of us who has experienced this terrible war who does not realise that we shall feel its inevitable consequences long after we have all forgotten our rejoicings today."It marked the start of a new chapter for the world.
