Last charge of the VJ brigade
Under watchful eyes of police snipers, a wheelchair army of VJ veterans mark 70 years since the merciful end of their Far East sacrifice
THEY had faced death every day amid the unimaginable horrors of Japanese prisoner of war camps.
Yesterday, it was clear that age has wearied the survivors of the campaign fought in the Far East – but their spirit remained indomitable as they gathered to remember their fallen comrades.
The parade by the phalanx of veterans in their wheelchairs through Central London was the climax of an emotional day commemorating the 70th anniversary of victory in the war against Japan – a conflict that claimed the lives of 27,000 British and Commonwealth troops.
Earlier, the Queen led the ceremony to remember the sacrifice of those who had fought and died. She and the Duke of Edinburgh – himself a veteran of the Far East war – were joined by David Cameron and former POWs for the service at St Martin-in-the Fields church.
The congregation sang hymns and a piped lament paid tribute to the dead. Veteran John Giddings, 92, read the Kohima Epitaph – remembering a crucial battle of 1944 – with the haunting line: ‘When you go home, tell them of us. And say for your tomorrow we gave our today.’
Wreaths were laid at the church’s own memorial to Far East POWs and there was a minute’s silence which ended with the Last Post.
A huge police operation was carried out over fears, first revealed in last week’s Mail on Sunday, that Islamic State terrorists were plotting an attack on the day’s events.
Police snipers kept a watch on crowds from the rooftops of Government buildings as helicopters flew overhead and armed officers patrolled the streets.
But the day passed peacefully, with the only casualty appearing to be a veteran who collapsed in the sun and was carried away by paramedics before recovering.
As tens of thousands lined the streets to pay their respects, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall joined hundreds of veterans at Horse Guards Parade for a drumhead service. Royal Marine buglers and percussionists piled up their drums to form a ceremonial altar at the centre of the parade.
Crowds applauded as a Dakota, Hurricane and an RAF Typhoon fighter jet flew past in tribute to the sacrifice made by soldiers, sailors and airmen in the Second World War. Viscount Slim, son of Field Marshal William Slim – who led the 14th Army, the so-called ‘forgotten army’, in the Burma campaign – read a passage from his father’s memoir Defeat Into Victory.
He read: ‘To the soldiers of many races who, in the comradeship of the 14th Army, did go on, and to the airmen who flew with them and fought with them and fought over them, belongs the true achievement. It was they who turned defeat into victory.’
Actor Charles Dance read Rudyard Kipling’s Mandalay – a favourite marching tune for many in the 14th Army. It tells the story of a British soldier who was discharged from Burma. A clearly moved Dance later said: ‘It was rather nerve-wracking. It was like ten first nights in a row. I could see people mouthing the words.’
There was a minute’s silence at the Cenotaph at 2.20pm and Timothy Knatchbull, grandson of the Earl of Mountbatten – who saw distinguished service as a Naval commander during the Second World War – laid a wreath at a statue dedicated to his memory.
And one of the most moving events of the day occurred at just after 3.30pm when members of the Armed Forces led veterans in a parade down Whitehall to a reception in Westminster Abbey.
The Second World War in Europe ended in May 1945 but the conflict in the Far East didn’t end until the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki forced the surrender of Japan on August 15.
The sacrifices of those who fought in the war were overlooked for decades, partly because of a reluctance of the Japanese to face up to their atrocities.
But it is now generally recognised that some of the greatest horrors of the entire war were endured by those who were enslaved and killed by the Japanese. Tens of thousands died building the infamous Burma Railway.
Construction of the 258-mile track cost a life for every sleeper laid. And of the 50,016 British personnel taken captive by the Japanese, 12,433 died or were killed before victory was finally achieved.