Victory in the Pacific Day: a reflection

Australian Community Media

August 15th, 2025 is the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Pacific Day (VP Day). In this video, the curators of the Photographs, Film and Sound section have created a collection that captures some of the spirit of the day in 1945. Vision courtesy: Australian War Memorial

Transcript

00:00Hello citizens the war is over the Japanese government has accepted the

00:25terms of surrender imposed by the Allied Nations and hostilities will now cease

00:31the reply by the Japanese government to the note sent by Britain the United

00:37Nations the USSR and China has been received and accepted by the Allied

00:44Nations at this moment let us offer thanks to God let us remember those whose

00:52lives were given that we may enjoy this glorious moment and my look forward to a

00:58pace which they have won for us

01:11Oh great excitement just everybody hugged and everybody cheered and and everybody

01:21was just so important there was no didn't matter what color creed age it just made

01:27no difference you were all just one big happy family it's wonderful I'll never

01:33forget that day

01:40the jubilation was unbelievable I mean I remember seeing the policeman being

01:45kissed and that was a very unusual thing policemen were generally held at arm's

01:51length but their horses were being written on with lipstick and the jubilation

01:56was really quite remarkable actually when I think about saying dance I suppose you

02:02laugh with people you just you just soak up the atmosphere really that's all that's

02:06all I remember

02:25you know everything seemed to be lifted it was great the war was finished even

02:30you know I suppose there was still a lot going to go on but we knew that it was

02:33finished then

02:34um yeah that day stuck in my mind a bit that one

02:37you

02:43you

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