Following Victory in Europe (VE Day) in May 1945, British and Commonwealth troops continued the fight against Japanese forces in Asia and the Pacific.
The dropping of two atomic bombs on Japanese cities - one in Hiroshima on 6 August and the other three days later on Nagasaki - resulted in enormous devastation, bringing the six year global conflict to a rapid end and introduced the ever-present threat of nuclear war.
The human cost of the Second World War was overwhelming, leading to death and destruction for millions of people on both sides.
80 years on, we will come together as a nation to pay tribute to the British and Commonwealth veterans, the Second World War generation and those who paid the ultimate sacrifice to secure freedom and peace.
