We will never forget those who continued to fight in the Far East after VE Day

Thank you for subscribing!

This Government does not intend to let their sacrifice be forgotten, writes the Labour minister

Eighty one years ago today, the Second World War finally came to an end.

For hundreds of thousands of British and Commonwealth families, there had been no relief following VE day. Their loved ones had still been fighting, losing their lives, and being held as prisoners of war thousands of miles from home in the Far East, until Victory Over Japan (VJ) Day was declared on August 15, 1945.

The men and women who served in Burma, in India, and across the Pacific theatre endured some of the most brutal fighting of the entire war, and stories of their courage deserve to be told with the same pride and clarity as any other chapter of that conflict.

So today, on the eighty-first anniversary of VJ Day, we remember the remarkable perseverance and bravery shown by those who fought and endured the war in the Far East.

This time last year, on the eightieth anniversary of VJ Day, I was at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire alongside Their Majesties The King and Queen and veterans from across the UK and the Commonwealth.

I was deeply moved by the special tribute made by 400 members of the Armed Forces, including a guard of honour from the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force and watched in awe as the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight led a magnificent flypast featuring the historic Dakota, Hurricane and Spitfire aircraft.

Hundreds of buildings across the country lit up in honour of those who lost their lives in the final months of the war, from Buckingham Palace to Blackpool Tower.

Our responsibility to remember remains strong as ever. We must continue to ensure that their sacrifice and their stories take their rightful place in the story we tell ourselves about the nation we are today.

Our country owes an immense debt to those who fought for the freedoms we now enjoy. That debt does not fade with time, and this Government does not intend to let it be forgotten.

That is why we have been proud to support projects that keep these stories alive for new generations such as the Our Freedom: Then and Now touring exhibition, and why we continue to invest in protecting the war memorials and war graves that stand as a permanent reminder of what was sacrificed.

As the Minister responsible for Ceremonial events, I am determined that the men and women who fought and served in the Far East are rightly remembered and honoured.

Their story is Britain's story, and we will keep telling it, with every generation that follows.