Locate, recover and commemorate
VJ (Victory over Japan) Day was announced on 15 August 1945 bringing the Second World War to an end. The formal surrender had been signed a few weeks earlier on the decks of the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on 2 September.
The IWGC began the immense task of locating Commonwealth casualties from the dense jungles, rainforests and islands that made up the theatres of battle in Burma and the Far East. Once located, they were recovered and brought into the newly established Cemeteries to be cared for in perpetuity.
“The War is over…those four words have for the Queen and myself the same significance – simple yet immense – that they have for you. Our hearts are overflowing.”
King George VI, 15 August 1945
THE END OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR - SHARE THEIR STORIES
Read and share the stories of the people involved in the Burma and Far East campaigns at For Evermore: Stories of the Fallen, our online commemorative resource.
All images © IWM unless otherwise indicated.