Peace at last: How world will unite to remember on the day guns finally fell silent

After Victory in Europe, war raged on in the Far East. While celebrations took place at home after the defeat of Nazi Germany, thousands of troops continued to fight in the sweaty, malaria-ridden climes on the other side of the world in the brutal fight with Japan.

It’s a period of the war often overlooked, until the atom bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leading to the Japanese surrendering on August 15, 1945, officially bringing the Second World War to an end.

The Far East campaign had begun on December 7, 1941, with the attack on Pearl Harbour. Hong Kong was attacked the following day and, over the next few weeks, the British retreated to Singapore, where they surrendered at a cost of 9,000 men killed or injured. A further 130,000 were captured and made prisoners of war.

The fightback began in 1944 with the 14th Army – believed to be the largest ever all-volunteer army with 2.5 million men in their ranks, mostly made up of units from India and East and West Africa, as well as Britain – and the bid to recapture Burma was one of the longest fought by the British during the war.

Saturday marks the 75th anniversary of Victory over Japan Day, better known as

VJ Day, and despite restrictions put in place due to lockdown, there will be a series of events to mark the date.

British servicemen and women in Cairo read the news on VJ Day

The Prince of Wales will lead a two-minute national silence at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, while the Duke of Edinburgh will contribute to an event at Horse Guards Parade in London later in the evening.

Closer to home, services charities PoppyScotland and Legion Scotland, in partnership with the Scottish Government, will host on their social media channels a virtual service of remembrance at 10.35am on Saturday, followed by a virtual concert at midday. On Monday, a live lesson for schools will ensure younger generations learn about the significance of VJ Day.

Legion Scotland chief executive Dr Claire Armstrong said: “This campaign saw some of the fiercest fighting of the Second World War and in some of the harshest conditions. While Europe celebrated the defeat of Nazi Germany in May 1945, hundreds of thousands of personnel from across the Commonwealth were still engaged in the brutal fight against Imperial Japan.

“We will highlight the incredible service and sacrifice made by those who fought in the Far East campaign and unite the nation in remembrance of the generation who gave so much.”

Here, we speak to three Scots who were in the Far East during the conflict.