Veterans invited to join VE and VJ Day 80th anniversary commemorations

This year will mark 80 years since the end of the Second World War, with Victory in Europe (VE) Day on 8 May 1945 and Victory over Japan (VJ) Day on 15 August 1945.

Registration has now opened on the RBL’s website, and those who served in the Second World War, or their family or carers on their behalf, are being encouraged to register and join in commemorations for VE Day and VJ Day 80 at national and local community events.

The RBL is planning major events to mark these momentous anniversaries to ensure the service and sacrifice of the entire Second World War generation will always be remembered.

Victory in the Second World War would not have been possible without the combined efforts of the Allied Forces, from Britain, the Commonwealth, and beyond, and all those who served will be placed at the heart of commemorations.

Last year marked the 80th anniversary of D-Day with Members of the Royal Family, politicians, and the public attending major events in Normandy, at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, and around the country. In 2025, it is hoped the nation will come together again for VE and VJ Day, to pay tribute to those who gave so much for the freedoms which endure today in modern Britain.

D-Day veteran and retired Rear Admiral John Roberts, 100, from Kent, said: “2025 is an important year for my generation, with anniversaries for both VE and VJ Day. It is always an honour being part of a Royal British Legion event, joining with comrades to remember and pay tribute to those we lost. I want to encourage all those who served their country in the Second World War to register on the RBL’s website, to make sure they are involved.”

Philippa Rawlinson, Director of Remembrance at the Royal British Legion, said: “These incredibly poignant occasions marking the 80th anniversaries of VE and VJ Day are now likely to be our last opportunities to come together as a nation with veterans of the Second World War to pay tribute to their bravery and to those who made the ultimate sacrifice and lost their lives.

“Everyone in modern Britain will somehow have a connection to those who experienced the War, either through their family or community heritage. It’s important we mark these anniversaries with commemorations in communities across the UK and with national moments to thank our Armed Forces veterans, without whom the way of life we enjoy today would not have been possible.

“We are inviting all those who served in the Second World War with British and Commonwealth Armed Forces to register with us, so that we can share their wartime experiences and sometimes ‘forgotten stories’ and ensure the significance of their contribution in shaping our world today is always remembered.”

As well as Armed Forces from Britain, some six million personnel from the Commonwealth served and contributed throughout the Second World War, with more than a million deployed in the Far East, and many more in the Middle East, North Africa and across Europe.

Registration is open to surviving British or Commonwealth Armed Forces veterans, as well as those who contributed to the war effort such as munition workers, Bevin Boys, those conscripted back home, from reservist occupations and the Special Operations Executive. Those registered will be kept informed of commemorative plans and invited to attend local and national events.

The RBL is working with the Government and stakeholders to develop the national plans for VE and VJ Day 80, which will invite younger generations to see for themselves how the legacy of the Second World War generation’s service and sacrifice lives on to this day. The programme of activity will include teaching resources for schools and community engagement projects.

While VE Day 80 is likely to reflect upon the more celebratory nature of the spontaneous street parties that broke out across the nation, VJ Day 80 will commemorate the end of six years of conflict in the Second World War.