Westbury pays respects on VJ Day 75th anniversary

WESTBURY marked the 75th anniversary of VJ Day on Saturday with Town crier, John Hadfield, reading a proclamation which was  issued by Sir Bruno Peek, the Queen’s pageant master.

Organisers of the national ‘Let Your Voice Be Heard’ event said, “When the Second World War ended 75 years ago with the surrender of Japan, British soldiers, sailors and airmen serving in the Far East, were among the last to come home.”

Members of the Royal Family took part in events which were televised.

Westbury Town councillors discussed the importance of the event at a meeting of the policy & resources committee on 3rd August.

Cllr Mike Sutton, was concerned that “the more we have of these occasions, the more they diminish in importance.”

Cllr Cunningham, who said that his father served in India and Burma, said councillors would not know whether or not people would want to commemorate the anniversary. 

Councillor Sheila Kimmins said that people in the town who remember these events are getting fewer. She said it was important that people should be aware of the sacrifices that were made. “We cannot re-write history,” she said, “but we can learn from it.”

Cllr Amos said he supported the event. He suggested that the town crier could be filmed reading the proclamation and it could be shared on social media.

Cllr Ward Jones said it was important that the suffering of the prisoners in Japan be recognised. Councillors unanimously agreed for the occasion to be marked by the town crier and filmed.