Residents and armed forces veterans from across the borough are being invited to join the Mayor of Basingstoke and Deane Cllr Colin Phillimore at a special ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of VJ Day.

 

The public ceremony, which will be attended by HM Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire Nigel Atkinson Esq, will take place outside the Civic Offices in Basingstoke on Friday 15 August from 11.55am, starting with a two-minute silence followed by a short service and a commemorative flag raising.

 

The service will be led by Padre Charles Lewis, Chaplain of the Thames Valley Wing of the Air Cadet Organisation, and representatives from the armed forces, the veteran community and the cadet corps will deliver readings and prayers.

 

VJ Day, or Victory over Japan Day, is celebrated annually on 15 August and marks Japan’s surrender to the allied forces, effectively ending World War Two and bringing six years of war to a close.

 

Cllr Phillimore: “Everybody is welcome to attend the short ceremony outside the Civic Offices on Friday 15 August. We had the opportunity to celebrate the 80th anniversary of VE Day earlier this year but for many of our troops and their families, that was not the end of the hardship and fighting. 

 

“It is therefore right that we mark the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, when peace was restored to our country, triggering the start of the demobilisation of millions of servicemen and women.”

 

To find out more about the service visit: www.basingstoke.gov.uk/80th-victory-over-japan