75th Anniversary of VJ Day to be celebrate online in the Bradford district

Thursday, 13 August 2020 19:29

This year due to the coronavirus pandemic, celebrations by Bradford Council to mark the 75th Anniversary of VJ Day on Saturday 15 August will have to be different.

Just because planned celebrations are no longer taking place, doesn’t mean that people can’t honour this momentous day in other ways from the safety of their own homes.

People from communities across the district are being encouraged to join in with nationally organised activities including a two minutes silence at 11am, a online conversation between veterans Captain Sir Tom Moore from Keighley and Private Joseph Hammond with Dr Peter Johnston, as well as a Service of Remembrance and a national tribute both to be broadcast on BBC One.

Bradford Cathedral will be broadcasting a special service across their social media channels on Saturday 15 August at 12 noon. This will include a contribution from the Lord Mayor of Bradford Councillor Doreen Lee.

City Hall will be lit up red, white and blue on Sunday 16 August to round off the weekend celebrations.

To help people to organise VJ Day celebrations in their own homes with their own households, the Council has created a special page on its website with ideas, resources and links.

The page contains information about online events to join in with, wartime recipes to try, templates for creating bunting, activities for children and information and links helping people to discover and share their own family history.

The Council is also encouraging people to share their own photos and stories across social media using the hash tag #BradfordVJDay75.

Councillor Joanne Dodds, Bradford Council’s Armed Forces Champion, said: “It is disappointing that plans to mark the 75th anniversary of VJ Day have had to be cancelled, but especially with rising infection rates in the district it is so important that we all do our bit to stop the spread Covid-19.

“We still want people to be able to celebrate the day and also reflect on the sacrifices made by not only the British forces, but also the Allied and Commonwealth forces who all contributed so much to bring about the end of the Second World War. This is why we have put together the page of ideas and resources to help people to do this within their own households in the safety of their own homes.

“As we continue to support the national effort to tackle coronavirus, we hope people enjoy using these ideas to commemorate the day with everyone in their household and virtually with friends and family.

“So, whatever you have planned for the weekend, please continue to follow all the latest government guidelines to keep our families, friends and communities safe.”

The Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Doreen Lee, said: “As most of us know, this year marked the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe. However, while the war ended here, bitter fighting was still going on in the Far East.

“On 15 August it will be 75 years since Japan publicly announced its surrender to the Allies – VJ Day - which in effect ended the Second World War.

“I would encourage everyone to remember this important chapter in world history and pay tribute to the memory of those who served in the Far East.”

The Second World War had an effect on millions of people from veterans to ancestors from across the whole of Britain and the Commonwealth including those from India, the West Indies, East and West Africa, Canada, Australia, Ireland and many other nations who all fought alongside British troops these people are all united in their shared connections.

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