King vows sacrifices of VJ Day heroes will ‘never be forgotten’ in historic message to nation

King tells nation sacrifices of VJ Day heroes ‘shall never be forgotten’BBC/The Royal Family

Transcript

00:00It has been my privilege to reassure the remaining veterans that their and their fallen comrades

00:07shall never be forgotten. Nor are we alone in our thoughts today, for high above those

00:15monsoon-lash jungles, Allied pilots displayed their own fearless bravery, flying fighters,

00:23bombers and transport aircraft, into enemy fire and nature's fury. We recall too the prisoners

00:33of war who endured years of brutal captivity, the starvation, disease and cruelty that tested

00:41the very minutes of human endurance. Ancient civilian populations of occupied territories

00:48faced grievous hardship too. Their experience reminds us that war's true cost extends beyond

00:57battlefields, touching every aspect of life, a tragedy all too vividly demonstrated by conflicts

01:06around the world today. On this landmark anniversary, we should also pause to acknowledge that in

01:16the war's final act, an immense price was paid by the citizens of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,

01:24a price, we pray, no nation need ever pay again. But in recalling so much suffering,

01:34we must not lose sight of how great was the cause and how sweet the victory.

01:40But those heroes of BJ Day gave us more than freedom. They left us the example of how it

01:49can and must be protected. Countries and communities that had never before fought together

01:57learned to coordinate their efforts across vast distances, faiths and cultural divides. Together they

02:05proved that in times of war and in times of peace, the greatest weapons of all are not the arms you

02:15bear but the arms you lick. That remains a vital lesson for our times. So to the families of all those who

02:25serve and serve, and to that sadly grinding band of veterans among us still, please know that the courage

02:35and panoradally displayed in humanity's darkest hour is a flame that will blaze for eternity.