VJ Day 80

VJ 80 Anniversary Commemorations

NFFWRA organised and was involved in many events to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Japanese surrender that ended World War Two in the Far East.

May I say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make it all happen, and to everyone who took part.

Pauline Simpson BEM
NFFWRA Secretary

  1. Far East POW Pilgrimage, Singapore & Thailand 2025
  2. VJ Day 2025 – 80th Anniversary Commemoration Service
  3. VJ 80 Merchandise
  4. Surviving the Railway: Memories of Far East Prisoners of War Exhibition

Far East POW Pilgrimage, Singapore & Thailand 2025

November 2025

UPDATE – Pilgrimage report now available

Once again, the 2025 tour was managed by Battlefield Guide / NFFWRA Associate and Committee member Gerry Norden and the party journeyed under the umbrella of NFFWRA (the National Far East POW Welfare & Remembrance Association).

Pilgrimage Report

A full, illustrated report of the trip is available. Click here to download the report.

VJ Day 2025 – 80th Anniversary Commemoration Service

Friday 15th August 2025 – Norwich Cathedral

A Service to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VJ Day was held at Norwich Cathedral courtesy of the Dean, The Very Reverend Dr. Andrew Braddock.

Norwich Cathedral was full to capacity for our Service; over 1100 tickets were issued and the Service was a truly wonderful way to honour the memory of our Far East POWs.

VJ 80 Merchandise

A VJ80 pin badge @ £5, Necklace @ £7.50, Both items £10 together – all prices inclusive of postage.

A pen is also available with our VJ 80 logo at £2.

VJ80 merchandise is available in a presentation box.

Please contact Pauline for payment information enquiries@nationalfepowfellowship.org.uk

Surviving the Railway: Memories of Far East Prisoners of War Exhibition

22nd March – 21st September 2025 Stories of Lynn Museum, King’s Lynn Town Hall

The exhibition told the stories of the ill-fated 18th Infantry Division, a territorial formation of East Anglian battalions including the 4th, 5th and 6th Royal Norfolk’s. Whilst originally heading for the Middle East, Japan’s declaration of war and subsequent rapid march down the Malayan Peninsula saw them divert for the island ‘fortress’ of Singapore. Despite its reputation, the Battle for Singapore was a brief one, and the British Army surrendered on the 15th February 1942.

The men captured in Singapore would go on to suffer three and a half years of brutal treatment at the hands of the Japanese, with many being sent up country to build the Thai-Burma railway, otherwise known as the ‘Railway of Death’. Around a quarter of these men would die from starvation, brutality and disease, but their stories stand as testament to the enduring nature of the human spirit in the face of seemingly hopeless circumstances.

Surviving the Railway: Memories of Far East Prisoners of War told their stories through the objects and accounts held by the Royal Norfolk Regimental Museum alongside an archival film exploring the realities of internment, rarely made available to the public.