Blog Day 143 - Friday 14 August 2020

Welcome to week three of Virus Free Friday.

As the historically aware amongst you would be aware tomorrow, 15th August, is the 75th anniversary of the formal surrender of Japan in World War 2 (WW2).  The surrender document was signed on 15/08/1945 on the US battleship USS Missouri on Tokyo Bay. This day is known as VP day which stands for Victory in the Pacific.  When I was growing up it was still known as VJ Day which stood for Victory over Japan.  Obviously continually reminding Japan that we eventually beat them isn't seen as acceptable any more.

As Germany had formally surrendered on 8 May 1945 (known as VE Day) the surrender of Japan in August ended World War 2 in all theatres.

Similar to the end of TGW signing of armistice and surrender documents didn't necessarily end all of the fighting.  There was a fair amount of various parties "getting even", dealing with collaborators, ethnic cleansing in  countries where borders had moved and politically based fighting especially in Europe where the USSR was forcing its domination of various countries.

But for the majority of men and women in the Australian armed forces it meant it was time to come home.  

Just to give you an idea of the commitment to the war effort of everyday families in Australia I will give you a brief run down of the position with my own family.  My father and his two brothers all enlisted in the 2nd AIF (Australian Imperial Force) and all three served overseas.  Dad's sister's husband also served overseas in the 2nd AIF.  

On Mum's side, her only brother enlisted but I don't think that he served overseas but he was in Darwin I think.  Two of Mum's uncles (my great uncles) served, at least one of them overseas, the other I am not sure.  Of Mum's family her father (my grandfather) and his brother had both served overseas in TGW and both had been badly wounded and both suffered serious non battle injuries.  My grandfather was wounded in the fighting around Morlancourt in 1918 and was seriously ill with peritonitis in the same year.  My great uncle Horrie was evacuated from Gallipoli in 1915 with frost bite and was seriously wounded at Pozieres in 1916.  (There is a letter in Horrie's military file from his mother (my great grandmother) asking if he still had all of his toes after she had been advised of his frostbite).

So, in Mum's immediate family 1 brother and 2 of her uncles served in WW2 and 20 years prior her father and an uncle served in TGW and in Dad's immediate family 3 brothers and a brother in law served in WW2. This doesn't take into account the service of members of the extended family and friends and associates. 

Of course during the time the of WW2 the people at home were subject to rationing of all sorts of consumer goods including food, petrol, clothing, building materials and of course things like motor vehicles and manufactured goods.  As well as the shortage of goods there was the constant worry about the loved ones serving overseas.  Many of these men served from 1939 to 1945 with only limited amounts of home leave.  

I think that the point I am trying to make here is the level of commitment to the war effort made by ordinary Australian families and the relief that would have been felt at the surrender of the Germans and Japanese that ended the war. 

The AWM has a commemorative VP service in the morning of 15/08 which is being televised from 9.30 on the ABC.

The Shrine will be holding a service in the Sanctuary at 11.20am on 15/8.  This will be closed to the public however will be live streamed via the Shrine website.

Lest we forget.