Commemorations will be held in Worcester later this month to mark the 80th anniversary of VJ Day (Victory over Japan), which signified the end of the Second World War.
VJ Day, observed on Friday 15 August, marks the moment in 1945 when Japan surrendered, bringing an end to the global conflict.
While VE Day in May 1945 celebrated victory in Europe, thousands of Armed Forces personnel - included those from Worcestershire - continued to fight in the Far East for several more months.
Fighting in the Asia-Pacific stretched from Hawaii to North East India.
Britain and the Commonwealth’s principal fighting force in the region, the Fourteenth Army, was among the most diverse in history – comprising soldiers who spoke more than 40 languages and represented all the world’s major religions.
The Japanese surrender followed the dropping of atomic bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima.
Worcester’s commemorations will begin at 9.30am on Friday 15 August, when the Mayor of Worcester, Councillor Dr Matt Lamb, will deliver a speech outside the Guildhall.
The Mayor will then join Worcester City Council’s Armed Forces Champion, Councillor Pat Agar, for a commemorative service at the Worcestershire Regimental Stone in Gheluvelt Park.
The service, which will gather at 11.45am for a noon start, will start with a national two minutes of silence. It will also include wreath-laying and speeches.
The event in Gheluvelt Park is being organised by the Worcester Branch of The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regimental Association.
To mark VJ Day the Guildhall will be illuminated in red, white and blue on the evening on 15 August.
Councillor Agar said: “On VJ Day we will commemorate the service and suffering of the armed forces personnel who fought in the Far East.
“It is important that their sacrifices to bring about the end of the Second World War are never forgotten.
“VJ Day reminds us of the cost of peace and the debt we owe to all who served.”
