00:00Hello gentlemen and welcome to our short commemoration for the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan Day.
00:07Many people hold the belief that the Second World War ended in May 1945 when victory in Europe was declared.
00:17This was not the case.
00:19British and Commonwealth troops continued to fight against the Japanese forces in Asia and the Pacific
00:26and it was some months before the war officially ended.
00:30Many lives were lost during this extended period of fighting.
00:34So today, on the 80th anniversary of the Japanese surrender,
00:39we come together as a nation to pay tribute to the British and Commonwealth veterans,
00:45the Second World War generation and those who paid the ultimate sacrifice to secure our freedom and peace.
00:53The timeline leading towards victory over Japan contains a number of significant dates.
01:00The 26th of July 1945, the Potsdam Declaration where the United States, Britain and China
01:09demanded unconditional surrender and disarmament of the Japanese military forces.
01:15Japanese leadership chose not to accept that declaration.
01:19The 6th of August 1945, the bombing of Hiroshima where at 8.15am local time the first atomic bomb was dropped on Japan
01:31causing immeasurable damage and killing tens of thousands of Japanese citizens and military personnel.
01:38The 9th of August 1945, the bombing of Narasaki and the Soviet declaration which saw the Soviet Union ending their neutrality and declaring war on Japan.
01:51The 10th of August 1945, the signal to surrender where the Japanese cabinet decided to accept the Potsdam Declaration.
02:02And then on the 14th of August 1945, Japan surrenders leading to a national broadcast announcing this significant event on the 15th of August the following day.
02:14Hence today being the anniversary of victory over Japan.
02:18We stood here in May and we heard Chloe and Lily read the 51 names listed on our war memorial associated with the Second World War.
02:3051 brave people from the Colford area who left the town to fight for our country's freedom and never returned.
02:38Today I want to read just six of these names, the names of those who lost their lives fighting in Asia and the Pacific.
02:48Edward Thomas John Ambry died 26th of June 1944.
02:56Clarence Yabez Bernard Baker died 18th of August 1943.
03:04Frank Edward Bainham died 6th of May 1943.
03:12Douglas Reginald Jacobs died 18th of March 1943.
03:19Charles Silas Jenkins died 30th of March 1942.
03:27And Frank William Tippins died 1st of July 1945.
03:33And I thank Chris Howell for his research in helping me identify the Colford heroes that lost their lives in the extended war in Japan.
03:43So I'm now going to invite one of my Mayor's Cadets Tasman from the Army Cadet Force to read the International Tribute.
03:58Let us remember those who gave their lives at home and abroad.
04:02Whose sacrifice enables us to enjoy all the peace we have today.
04:06Let us remember those who came home wounded physically and mentally and the friends and family who cared for them.
04:13Let us remember those who returned to restore their relationships and rebuild their working and family lives after years of conflict and turmoil.
04:21Let us remember the families and lost husbands, wives, sons and daughters and sweethearts.
04:26Let us remember the sacrifice men and women of other nationalities and faiths from Commonwealth and allied countries who fought, suffered and died during six years of a war.
04:36Let us remember those in reserved occupations and brave people who kept us safe on the home front.
04:42The doctors, the nurses, who cared for the wounded, the men and the women who toiled in the fields and the fishermen who fished the seas.
04:49Those who worked in the factories and air raid wardens, the police officers, firemen, ambulance drivers and the young people of the scouts and guides who played such a vital role in the war effort and at home too.
05:00God save the King.
05:02Mark.
05:03Thank you very much Tav.
05:10Very, very poignant words in the International Tribute.
05:13So, we now move to the laying of wreaths and then we will move into our Act of Remembrance this morning.
05:20I invite Paul McMann on behalf of the Royal British Legion and Councillor Paul Kay, Deputy Mayor of Colford to lay wreaths on behalf of our community.
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