Welcome
These web pages were originally physical displays in an exhibition to celebrate and commemorate the people who fought in the Far East during the Second World War, Victory over Japan (VJ80) and the end of the war held in Droxford on 16 August 2025. The exhibition was mounted by the Droxford and District Branch of the Royal British Legion (RBL).
VJ80 Video Interviews
Here are some short YouTube films in which members of the Droxford Branch recount the experiences of their fathers:
Cdr Dr Andrew Stewart RN on his father fighting through Burma.
Cdr Rob Scott RN on his father as a civilian internee in Changi Jail, Singapore.
Col John Croft late RE on his father as a Prisoner of War in Singapore and beyond.
Hopefully, you will find that their short pieces help to show what the Far East war meant for real people.
These web pages will take you on a roughly chronological journey from the defeats of 1942 through the operations of The Chindits in Burma, the defensive and then offensive operations in The Arakan, the iconic and pivotal battles at Kohima and Imphal and the subsequent slow, grinding defeat of the Japanese in Burma. Finally, it will touch on the campaign to drive the Japanese out of the former Dutch colonies and events around Japan’s final surrender.
This is a story about people rather than one of battles fought. Along the way, it will highlight the contribution of people from across Africa and, what was then, British India.
There have been many films and documentaries about the notorious conditions faced by PoWs in Japanese captivity – some more effective than others, but the story of how the war impacted on individual people cannot effectively be told without including PoWs.
The particular focus here on ‘British’ forces is not intended to diminish the contribution of other nations or the scale of the principally American-led operations in the Pacific. At least as importantly, it is recognised that this story does not address the suffering experienced by millions of non-combatant people whose lives were changed by the war.
At the end you will find some information about how the RBL nationally supports Veterans and their families. We hope that after this exhibition you may be interested in the very local activities of the Droxford RBL branch and that some people may wish to join us – you don’t need to have any experience of the Armed Forces.
Sources
The information on these pages has been drawn from many sources, both online and in books. In the latter case, the key works used are shown on the acknowledgements and thanks page. Where practicable there are links to the online source, particularly for images.