World leaders honour ‘immeasurable sacrifice’

VICTORY OVER JAPAN DAY – AUGUST 15, 1945

BRITAIN will today say a heartfelt thank you – as we mark the 75th anniversary of VJ Day and the end of the SecondWorldWar.

In a moving tribute to the “immeasurable sacrifice” of those who gave so much, images of veterans will be projected on giant screens in cities across the nation.

A photo-montage – also featuring the Duke of Edinburgh – will show them both during their time in service and as they are now.

And in a poignant video message, 10 leaders from around the world will voice their gratitude to the former servicemen and women who fought so bravely in our darkest hours.

Union flags will fly at full mast and the Red Arrows will conduct UK-wide flypasts over Edinburgh, Belfast and Cardiff before a final swoop over London’s Royal Hospital Chelsea – home to three recipients of the Burma Star.

Boris Johnson and senior royals will take centre stage at the events at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, where veterans and their descendants will attend the national service of remembrance. The Prime Minister will read the Exhortation ahead of a national two-minutes’ silence, led by the Prince of Wales. The ceremony will involve Armed Forces musicians and a fly-past by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

Restored Spitfire TE308, with snarling shark’s teeth and camouflage of the Royal Australian Air Force’s 457 Squadron, will also take off from Biggin Hill in Kent.

An officially commissioned video message will air on BBC One at 10.15am. Leaders including Mr Johnson, Australian PM Scott Morrison, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari and US president Donald Trump will all thank veterans.

Mr Johnson said: “We pay tribute to the heroes deployed thousands of miles away in the mountains, islands and rainforests of Asia. Their immeasurable sacrifice changed the course of history.”