BBC ANNOUNCES VJ DAY ANNIVERSARY COVERAGE AND PROGRAMMING LINE-UP

The BBC will mark the 80th anniversary of VJ Day with a wide-ranging slate of special programming across television, radio, online and archive and reporting from BBC News, reflecting on the end of the Second World War and the often-overlooked conflict in the Far East.

The centrepiece of the coverage will be a live commemorative event, VJ Day 80: The Nation's Tribute, broadcast on BBC One and iPlayer from the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.

This event, produced by BBC Studios Events on behalf of the Royal British Legion and supported by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), will be attended by some of the last surviving Second World War veterans of the campaign in the Far East and the Pacific.

Also on BBC One and iPlayer, The One Show will be live from the National Memorial Arboretum for a special episode sharing powerful stories from veterans. Antiques Roadshow will present a special VJ Day edition filmed at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, hosted by Fiona Bruce.

VJ Day 80: The Nation’s Tribute

To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Victory over Japan – VJ Day - and remember those who served in the Far East and the Pacific, the BBC will broadcast a special programme live on BBC One and iPlayer, on Friday 15 of August between 11:30am - 1:00pm from the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.

On this significant anniversary and with some of the last remaining VJ Day veterans in attendance, the event produced by BBC Studios Events on behalf of the Royal British Legion and supported by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), will pay tribute to their extraordinary bravery and acknowledge the sacrifices made by so many for our freedom. It will also include a national two-minute silence.

Mark Atkinson, Director General of the Royal British Legion, says: “We are incredibly proud to be leading the nation on the 80th anniversary of VJ Day with our Service of Remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. It will be a very poignant occasion for the Second World War veterans who served in the Far East and Pacific who will be with us on the day, alongside the families of those who served and lost loved ones. It is an opportunity for everyone across the country to watch live on BBC One as we reflect and remember, starting with a national two-minute silence.”

Staged at the foot of the iconic Armed Forces Memorial, this commemoration will feature personal testimonies and poignant reflections from veterans who remember leaving home for a far-off unknown country and an unknown enemy and being part of a ‘forgotten army.’

While Europe celebrated the surrender of the German forces on VE Day, a bitter war was being waged thousands of miles from home in the malaria ridden jungles of the Far East and the Pacific. After three long months, the war finally came to an end but for many there were mixed emotions.

Those who had fought were largely forgotten by those at home and after they returned many were unable to speak of what they had suffered and seen on the brutal battlefields or in the Prisoner of War camps. There was relief and joy but also sadness at the human cost.

The Second World War in South East Asia was fought by one of the most diverse forces in history with troops drawn from across the British Empire and in particular pre-partition India and Africa. Over 40 languages were spoken by this multi-national force which was instrumental in bringing the war to an end, and this diversity will be a central theme threaded throughout the commemoration.

Broadcaster Paddy O’Connell, whose father proudly served in the Second World War, will provide historical context through commentary and key moments of the conflict will be reflected through readings and musical performances by special guests. Films throughout the broadcast will feature veterans, some giving first hand personal accounts for the first time.

There will also be traditional military remembrance moments including The Last Post performed by The Royal Marine Buglers, a piper’s lament performed by The Brigade of the Gurkhas and a tribute from the Red Arrows and a traditional Second World War flypast.

Accessible commentary for the blind and partially sighted will be provided by Jane Hill via iPlayer and Red Button.

The One Show

On Thursday 14 August, The One Show will be looking ahead to the events marking VJ Day with a special live from the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. They’ll also be sharing powerful stories from veterans including that of Corporal Birdhoi Limbu, who served with The Brigade of Gurkas – an elite unit often deployed on the front lines or behind enemy lines in the fight to stop Burma from falling into Japanese hands.

His family know little about his time with the unit, now his son Daisling – a former Gurkha himself – has turned to the curators at the Gurkha Museum in Winchester to uncover his father’s role in the campaign and, most importantly to track down his long-lost military medals. What they discover goes far beyond their expectations, not only have the missing medals been found, but previously unseen archives have come to light, revealing the vital part Birdhoi Limbu played in the events leading up to VJ Day.

Antiques Roadshow VJ Day Special

Antiques Roadshow marks the 80th anniversary of VJ Day with a special episode filmed at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, featuring interviews with veterans and the families of those who took part in the victory over Japan.

The episode features interviews with two veterans of the conflict, both aged 100 - Naval Officer Bill Redston, who narrowly escaped death in both Normandy and Burma (now Myanmar), and Private Joseph Hammond, who travelled from Ghana to join the Fourteenth Army and was involved in some of the most ferocious fighting of the conflict.

The episode also features a poignant interview with 96-year-old Michiko Hattori, who survived the atomic bomb detonated over Hiroshima by the USA on 6 August 1945.

Members of the public share moving stories and cherished items that provide a personal insight into what is often referred to as the ‘Forgotten War’, including several objects made by Prisoners of War, such as a food bowl carved out of a coconut, a fly swat made from old boot leather and an intricate chess set crafted by a soldier who was forced to work on the notorious ‘Death Railway’ between Burma and Thailand.

Fiona Bruce meets the children of veterans who fought on opposing sides at the Battle of Kohima in 1944, which proved a turning point in the war. Bill Harriman hears the gruelling story of a member of the Chindits – a special operations unit for the Allies who went deep behind Japanese lines – and Siobhan Tyrrell is moved to see a pair of baby shoes, one of which the infant’s father carried with him as a good luck charm through the jungles of South East Asia.