Commemorative events will be held this month to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory over Japan Day (VJ), when peace was declared in the Far East and World War Two came to an end.
On the evening of 14th August, there will be a special Royal British Legion service of commemoration and thanksgiving at St John the Baptist Church at 6pm. The service will be led by Jonathan Cheal. Flags of the allied forces will be displayed.
The following day, on VJ Day – Friday 15th August – the nation will be invited to fall silent for two minutes at 12 noon to mark the moment peace was declared.
“We will meet for a short Act of Remembrance at the Frome Memorial by the Theatre,” said Frome RBL coordinator Jane Norris.
Standards of veterans’ organisations, a bugler, and wreath-laying will be followed by a recording of King George VI’s VJ Day address to the nation.
A moment of reflection will follow before a Flame of Hope is lit. This will burn for the rest of the day and accompany the proceedings as they move from the Memorial to Victoria Park for a static display of the Frome Bunting, which will be arranged to form ‘VE VJ 80’.
“Suitable music will be played as a backdrop to the display, and any memorabilia will be welcome to share,” said Jane.
“At 6pm, we will move from the park back to the Memorial Theatre with the bunting for an eight-minute period of silence, the silence being broken by quiet communal music.”
At 6.30pm, the final act of the commemoration will be for everyone to take a piece of the bunting, made to bind the VE and VJ commemorations, and see how far this link can stretch towards St John’s Church. Lanterns are encouraged as a continuous sign of hope for the future.
Jane said, “The Frome RBL hopes as many people as possible will like to be involved and welcomes everyone to be part of this auspicious anniversary. Lest We Forget.”
