VJ Day

male45

I was out and about today mainly shopping
When the Red Arrows flew over head. Great sight to witness not having witnessed anything like it before.
I noticed one plane that had veered off then rejoined the formation.
What is the reason for the single plane doing this..sorry if I appear stupid just asking like I said my first time witnessing g anything like it
Sorry have no photos to post

woodbine

I've seen the red arrows a few times and never notice that.

On the subject of VJ day its a shame like VE day that we cannot celebrate these things in a way only the British seem able to do, and that's well.

I kept 2 minutes silence at 11 a.m and thought of those who gave their lives so that we can live as we do in a country where speech is free and thought isn't a crime.

WE MUST NEVER FORGET xx

male45

@woodbine
Well said woodbine.
I copied a photo of BBC ni and posted it showing the plane verring off..by the time it reached where I was it was just sliding back into formation
A matter of maybe 1 minute from start to finish

chiarieds

I rarely watch TV, but put it on just before 11am. I found the service at the National Memorial Aboretum so poignant, especially the voices of some veterans who were between 93 & 100 years old. Also moving to watch the Sikh gentleman wanting to lay his wreath on his own.

Yes, we do owe so much to all those who fought in WW2, including those of this forgotten army. I also kept a 2 minutes silence.

If anyone hasn't seen it, do watch the film 'The Railway Man,' based on Eric Lomax's book of the same title.

When we had a secondhand & antiquarian bookshop, I remember we had 3 signed copies of 'The Raiway Man' over a period of time, which we didn't charge more for. The people that bought these were because of a relative they'd had in a similar situation, & were so pleased to get a signed copy; we didn't say he 'possibly' signed a lot of books. Also had some unsigned copies, which sold equally well, again importantly also to people who had had relatives involved in this campaign.

male45

Agree @chiarieds
So beautiful yet so sad yet so peaceful.
A long time ago I worked in the post office and part of my work involved working in a special section with two others late at night.
During our breaks we would often talk about what we did to relax and I brought up i like watching anything to do woth ww2 and Vietnam War. Asked why I told them.my father in law was a sailor during the ww2 and had served on the Hood  and was torpedoed  on the Royal Oak. The joked he didnt have much luck and we laughed and I said no he didn't sure I married his daughter which got a bigger laugh.
Then they began telling me over periods of months how they were treated as pots in Japanese camps one had actually worked on the Burma railway. 
Both saying the nightmares continue to this day.
I watched as their faces would just stare into nothingness while come over their faces.
I admired them for their services and strength even now but no longer with us..RIP

66Mustang

While I am sure that bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki shortened the war and saved hundreds of thousands of lives I think it is important that in addition to paying respect to everyone else who made sacrifices during the war it is important to pay respect to the tens (hundreds?) of thousands of innocent Japanese civilians who died as a result of the two bombs.

woodbine

@66Mustang hope you are well? I don't think the Japanese would have agreed to peace unless the bombs had been dropped, they had an emperor who was in their eyes a god, but he had little power from the mid 1930's onwards, invading the main islands would have cost maybe 250,000 allied lives a price that Harry Truman didn't think was worth paying. We had 2 world wars in the first half of the 20th c. its now been 75 years since the last one ended, mostly I would suggest because of M.A.D.

Chloe_Scope

Thank you for sharing this @male45, I watched this on TV and found it really powerful!

male45

@Chloe_Scope
You're welcome. It was my first time. Yes powerful and so sad too

Chloe_Scope

Agreed @male45! It's really important to remember to remember these things.