Millions of British and Commonwealth troops joined Allied forces in Asia and the Pacific where fighting raged on until August 1945. Warfare spanned a vast geographic region. Battles were fought in jungle terrain and punishing tropical heat.
The Far East campaign saw hundreds of thousands of British, Commonwealth and other Allied troops taken prisoners of war (POWs), where they faced appalling conditions, including disease, starvation, forced labour and brutality.
After the fighting stopped on 15 August, it would take several months for POWs, servicemen and women to return home to Britain, where their harrowing wartime experiences would continue to take a toll.
On VJ Day 80, we will pay tribute to our veterans, the Second World War generation and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for peace.
