Today marks Victory over Japan Day, when Emperor Hirohito announced Japan’s surrender on 15 August 1945, bringing an end to the war in the Far East. The formal surrender was signed later aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945.
This post is both remembrance and a work-in-progress. I’m publishing it today to mark the anniversary and will add more detail shortly.
A solemn remembrance
Victory in the Pacific necessarily meant defeat for Japan; millions of lives across Asia and the Pacific were devastated. With the recent anniversaries of Hiroshima (6 August) and Nagasaki (9 August), this is not a celebratory post. It is a moment to remember all who suffered and died—civilians and service personnel on every side—and to reflect on the costs of war and the shadow cast by nuclear weapons.
A personal connection
My father, A J Noake (01/1920 - 06/1966), served in the Burma campaign. He and many others in the Fourteenth Army fought in harsh conditions long after victory was declared in Europe.
1937: Joined the British Army at Aldershot age 19.
1939 June: Deployed to France and Belgium with the 3 Infantry Division, British Expeditionary Force.
1940 May: Evacuated from Dunkirk and remains in the UK for training and R&R until June 1942
1942: Deployed to Burma
1944: Awarded the Burma Star
Dad in uniform, 1940.
This is Dad with Edit and Eleanor, from the family that sheltered dad while
retreating to the beaches of Dunkirk.
“This could be Dad’s return journey to the UK from the Far East or possibly his time in Durban on the way out to Burma. Mom seemed to think the latter.”
“Mom and Dad, not sure if this is before shipping out to Burma.”
Service Path
Dunkirk
Dad was Deployed to Flanders where they fought until they were driven back by the advancing German forces. The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was forced to retreat to the beaches of Dunkirk, where a massive evacuation operation was launched to rescue the trapped soldiers. The second battalion had a lucky escape here loosing all its equipment in France.
Dunkirk was a significant event early in the Second World War, where Allied forces were evacuated from the beaches of Dunkirk, France, in May and June 1940. This operation, known as Operation Dynamo, was a desperate attempt to save British and Allied troops surrounded by German forces. The successful evacuation, aided by civilian boats, allowed a large number of soldiers to escape, but it was also a moment of reflection on the challenges ahead.
Dad was part of this evacuation, and his experiences during this time shaped his views on the war and its aftermath also his relationships with the the local population. He often spoke about the kindness of the French civilians who helped the soldiers during their retreat. Indeed he and his two buddies ‘Lofty England’ and ‘Bob Hutch’ formed lasting friendships with some of the locals, who provided them with food, shelter and protection from the surrounding German forces.
After the war, Dad maintained contact with the family who had sheltered him and he visited them several times. They also came and visited us in the garage. I am afraid the only name I remember now is ‘Edit’ their stories became an important part of our family history.
Only recently, I have made the connection that the car franchise we took on at the garage was Renault, French cars, and I wonder if this was a nod to those friendships formed during the war.
The Burma Campaign
The Burma Campaign was a series of battles in the Southeast Asian theatre of World War II, primarily fought between British Commonwealth forces and the Japanese army. The campaign began in 1942 and continued until the end of the war in 1945, with significant battles taking place in difficult terrain and harsh conditions. The campaign aimed to secure supply routes, protect India from Japanese invasion, and ultimately retake Burma from Japanese occupation.
Again Dad was in the thick of it, being involved in the famous battles of Kohima and Imphal. Ending up retreating over a 1000 miles through the jungle to India pursued by the Japanese after the fall of Burma.
The Forgotten War
The term “forgotten war” often refers to the Far East campaign, which, despite its scale and significance, is less well-remembered than other theatres of World War II. The campaign involved complex battles against Japanese forces across vast territories, with many soldiers enduring extreme hardships.
Sources and further reading
Japanese surrender ceremony aboard USS Missouri, 2 September 1945.
Emperor Hirohito’s surrender broadcast, 15 August 1945.
I’ll expand this section with links and family archives as I add AJ’s story from his time with the British Expeditionary Force, escaping from Dunkirk, and serving in the Far East.
