Why VJ Day has never been more poignant than this year
VJ Day, which ended “humanity’s darkest hour”, should never be forgotten. The lessons that it has to teach us are more relevant today than ever before.
The commemorations were particularly poignant this year as it may well be the final time that the golden generation marks the end of the Second World War.
For all their heroism, they are keen to remind us about the pain and suffering the war inflicted on millions across the globe. Most tellingly the atomic bombs that fell on Japan, bringing the war to a close.
The fact that King Charles is believed to have made the most direct reference by a British monarch to the suffering in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, shows the importance of remembering what happens when peace is not allowed to prevail, at this moment more than any other in recent history.
As Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin hold a summit in Alaska, the threat of nuclear war between superpowers has never been greater. The consequences would be devastating.
The golden generation knows that because they lived through it. That is why they are keen to remind us that it was peace that they fought for. A peace that is increasingly being put at risk.
Lessons need to be learned and then they need to be passed down from generation to generation if we are to avoid repeating the same mistakes.
Clearly the current generation has not learned these lessons of the past, or at the very least has become complacent about peace.
Alongside those who serve on the frontline not just in Europe but as far afield as the Far East, the sacrifices of the forgotten army should also be remembered, including many women on the home front. It was a national effort, on a scale that is unimaginable for today’s generation, in the face of tyranny.