MAYOR of Worcester Coun Jo Hodges led the commemorations as the city marked the 75th anniversary of VJ Day (Victory in Japan), the day on which the Second World War finally came to an end.
Prayers, poetry and a minute’s silence were on the agenda for Saturday’s (August 15) event at the Guildhall. Social distancing requirements meant there were only 15 official attendees in the Guildhall courtyard, but members of the public watched from outside the railings.
VJ Day is the day on which Imperial Japan surrendered to the Allied Forces in the Second World War, effectively bringing the conflict to an end.
Coun Hodges was joined by consort Dave Hodges, Lt. Col Patrick Holcroft – the Lord Lieutenant of Worcestershire, Mark Jackson – the High Sheriff of Worcestershire and senior representatives from the Royal British Legion locally.
Major Lee Dandy, Battery Commander, 214 (Worcestershire) Battery was also among the guests alongside John Walters from the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regimental Association, Mayor’s Chaplin Rev Sarah Northall and Coun Marc Bayliss and Coun Adrian Gregson, leader and deputy leader of Worcester City Council.
Following the ceremony at the Guildhall, the party processed down High Street to the war memorial at Worcester Cathedral where Rev’d Canon Dr Stephen Edwards met the procession before wreaths were laid.
“Many people think the Second World War ended on May 8, 1945 on VE Day, but the reality is many thousands of Armed Forces personnel were still involved in bitter fighting in the Far East until August
“Britain and the Commonwealth’s principal fighting force in the Far East, the Fourteenth Army, was one of the most diverse in history – more than 40 languages were spoken, and all the world’s major religions represented.
“The descendants of many of the Commonwealth veterans of that army are today part of multicultural communities in Worcester and across the UK, and one of the many important aspects of VJ Day is the commemoration of that lasting legacy.”
