Victory in the Pacific and the end of the Second World War – 75th anniversary
Today is the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Pacific Day (VP) and the end of the Second World War.
On 15 August 1945, Emperor Hirohito spoke on national radio for the first time and told his people that the demands of the Allies had been accepted, Japan had surrendered. Three months earlier war had ended in Europe with the surrender of Nazi Germany. The Second World War was over.
News of the war’s end was quickly relayed to the Allied nations. Australians heard the news via a live radio broadcast on the morning of the 15th August 1945. From Parliament House, Prime Minister Ben Chifley announced:
Fellow Citizens, the war is over. The Japanese Government has accepted the terms of surrender imposed by the Allied Nations and hostilities will now cease… At this moment, let us offer thanks to God. Let us remember those whose lives were given that we may enjoy this glorious moment and may look forward to a peace which they have won for us.
Two days of public holidays had been gazetted for the national celebrations. It was a time of immense emotion. After six long years of a relentless war Australians everywhere rejoiced in scenes of boundless jubilation. It was also a time of mixed emotions — while people welcomed peace many were grieving for those who were lost, and an uncertain future faced many.
To mark the 75th Anniversary the Australian War Memorial has curated a range of stories, photos, audio files, events and first-hand accounts from veterans. You can find this here.
VP Day in Canberra, 1945
National Thanksgiving Service
On 16 August 1945, a National Thanksgiving Service was held in front of the Australian War Memorial to mark Victory in the Pacific Day (VP Day). A reported crowd of 5000 people gathered to witness the ceremony and commemorate the end of the Second World War.
Sarah Kershaw of the Australian War Memorial writes about the National Thanksgiving Service here. This item has some interesting images including the image above which is a painting by Harold Abbott.
Other celebrations
The Canberra Times reported on 16 August 1945 that Canberra became ‘delirious with joy’ immediately after the announcement of peace and celebrations continued throughout the night.
The morning celebrations included at least a thousand people coming to the Civic Centre where shops and cars were painted with yellow "V" signs. In Mort Street, outside of the radio station 2CA, there was ‘wild hilarity’, with hundreds of civilians and Air Force personnel, joining in an impromptu community singing concert, which was broadcasted. Similar scenes were witnessed at Manuka and Kingston.
The 15 August 1945 celebrations ended with revellers converging on Manuka Oval and the Albert Hall where the great throng of people for a time blocked communication between the north and south sides of the city. The Canberra Times though made the touching point that amid the joy ‘the floodlit pile of the Australian War Memorial gave solemn reminder of the suffering and sacrifice through which peace with victory’ had come at last. You can read the Canberra Times article here.
The next day (16 August 1945) celebrations continued and the National Thanksgiving Service was held at the Australian War Memorial. You can read the Canberra Times account of the day here. This includes the lovely evocative story of ‘Hotels without Beer.’ Canberra hotels were deserted and a forlorn sight on the 16th as liquor stocks had failed to survive the demands of VP day and publicans had to await new supplies from Sydney.
Acknowledgement: The image above is a painting by Harold Abbott of the 1945 National Thanksgiving Service at the Australian War Memorial. It is from the Australian War Memorial’s collection. Harold Abbott enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in 1941 and in 1943 was appointed acting lieutenant as a war artist in 2/9 Australian Field Regiment. He spent the next two years as an official war artist. Full details for the image are here.
Please share. Lets get the past and present talking.
