Call for VJ veterans to join commemorations as new research reveals 8,000 surviving Second War World veterans
The Royal British Legion (RBL) is calling on Second World War veterans who served in the Far East to come forward and be part of the commemorations to mark the 80th Anniversary of VJ Day (Victory over Japan) on Friday 15 August.
The UK Government and the RBL, as the national champion of Remembrance, will host a service at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire on VJ Day, Friday 15 August.
Veterans who contributed to the campaigns in the Far East and the Pacific, or their families on their behalf, are invited to register with the RBL to join the commemorations. This includes those who served in Burma – now Myanmar – in the Pacific and Indian Ocean territories, those who were Prisoners of War throughout the region and veterans stationed in the UK or Commonwealth countries who contributed to the logistical and intelligence war effort in the Far East.
During the Second World War, around five million men and women served in the British Armed Forces with millions more mobilised from countries including pre-partition India, Australia, Canada, across the Commonwealth including African and Caribbean nations.
While for many, VE Day signalled the end of fighting in Europe, the end of the War would not have been possible without the combined efforts of all those who contributed to the Far East theatres of war. VJ Day marks the anniversary on 15 August 1945 when Japan announced its surrender to the Allied forces following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, effectively ending the Second World War after six years of conflict.
Second World War veteran Owen Filer, aged 105, who was serving with British forces in India on VJ Day, will be at the Service alongside Burma Star recipients, British Indian Army veterans as well as those involved in the fierce fighting at the Battles of Kohima and Imphal. He said:
“This is a significant moment for my generation and for all those who served out there and back home before Japan surrendered. It will be an honour to be with the Royal British Legion and fellow veterans 80 years after the world went through so much, and to remember those who never made it back. I would encourage all my comrades to visit the RBL’s website and register for what will be a very poignant day."
"The 80th anniversary of VJ Day is likely to be one of the last opportunities as a nation to thank those veterans still with us today for their service and sacrifice. We now have a better understanding of how many Second World War veterans are left and it is more important than ever that we pay tribute whilst they are still with us. It was wonderful to see the nation come together for VE80 – now we owe it to all those with a connection to VJ Day to do the same, to pause and reflect on their contribution and legacy, including those across the Commonwealth who helped shape the world we live in today.”
Mark Atkinson, Director General of the Royal British Legion
WWII Veterans enjoy afternoon tea at The Ritz, London
The RBL is proud to put veterans at the heart of national commemorations marking 80 years since the end of the War. This year the charity hosted VE80 events for veterans at The Ritz to share stories over afternoon tea, took a group to Buckingham Palace to meet The King, the RBL's Patron, and hosted the largest gathering of Second World War veterans on VE Day for a Tea Party at the Arboretum, including many who had never told their story before.
New research commissioned by the RBL to determine the remaining number of Second World War veterans suggests there are approximately 8,000 in England and Wales, in their late nineties and early hundreds. This number is projected to decline to fewer than 300 within a decade, by the time the 90th anniversaries come around.
The research into the number of veterans alive today was commissioned by the RBL to coincide with the 80th anniversaries of the Second World War is part of the charity’s work to help support the changing needs of the Armed Forces community.
It draws on data from the 2021 England & Wales Census on veterans who had previously served in the forces and would have been aged 18 or over in 1945, and from ONS population estimates of those aged over 90. According to the research, those 8,000 surviving Second World War veterans are aged between 98 and 110. Historically there had been a lack of available data on the veteran population until the RBL’s successful Count Them In campaign persuaded the government to include a question in the Census about military service.
“We’re incredibly proud of this work. These new findings are the result of a decades long effort by the RBL to improve data on veterans living in this country. With this information we can better understand and serve the Armed Forces community.”
Angela Kitching, Director of Campaigns, Policy and Research at the Royal British Legion
Background – Research Methodology on number of Second World War Veterans
Estimates are based on projections using data from England & Wales Census 2021, about veterans who served in the Regular Armed Forces, and were aged 18+ in 1945.
The number of Second World War veterans alive in England and Wales today has been developed by RAND Europe as part of work for the Royal British Legion on the changing needs of the Armed Forces community. This research uses data from the 2021 England and Wales Census of the number of Veterans (individuals who have previously served in the Regular or Reserve Armed Forces) and ONS mid-year population estimates of the very old (individuals aged 90 years and over). This analysis focuses only on Armed Forces Veterans living in England and Wales, and does not include Veterans living in Scotland, Northern Ireland or overseas due to a lack of available data.
This research relies on a number of key assumptions:
- The estimates are based on data from Census about veterans who would have been aged 18+ in 1945
- All Veterans aged 94 or over in 2021 are WWII Veterans (these individuals would have been 18 or over in 1945).
- The 2021 England and Wales Census captured all Veterans living in England and Wales and Census respondents accurately recorded their Veteran status.
- The mid-year population estimates accurately estimate the number of individuals in each group from 90 years to 104 years.
- The proportion of individuals in each age that die each year will not change dramatically out to 2040 and will follow historical trends.
- The proportion of individuals that die each year is the same for individuals aged 105 years and for all ages above 105 years.