VJ Day 80 in Sudbury
Friday 15 August 2025
Please join Sudbury Town Council, The Sudbury Branch of the Royal British Legion and Sudbury Museum Trust as we commemorate the 80th anniversary of VJ Day in Sudbury.
This is a particularly poignant anniversay for Suffolk and the Sudbury men whose stories are told in Sudbury Heritage Centre.
The day will begin with a 2-minute silence at the front of The Town Hall at 12:00. Later at 2.00pm, at the same location, there will be a re-enactment of the unveiling of the bronze plaque, a gift from the departing USAAF 486th Bomb Group. All are welcome to get in the spirit of the day by wearing 1940s era dress.
We’ll have a ukeleye band, join-along singing (with song sheets provided) and 1940s food in The Mayor’s Parlour.
In the evening there will be a free talk 'The Ill-fated 18th' at Sudbury Arts Centre, followed by a service at the War Memorials,the day will conclude as we join the nation with the Lighting of The Beacon ceremony at 9pm on the Croft. Members of the public are very welcome to attend all parts of the day.
There will also be FREE PARKING in all Sudbury Car Parks on Friday 15 August from 11am, courtesy of Babergh District Council.
Timetable for VJ Day 80 in Sudbury
12.00pm - Two minutes silence at the Front of The Town Hall.
2.00pm - 4.30pm Re-enactment of the unveiling of the bronze plaque, a gift from the departing USAAF 486th Bomb Group at The Front of The Town Hall. There will also be 1940s-style refreshments in the Mayor's Parlour, a ukeleye band and a sing-a-long.
6.00pm - 7.15pm A free talk 'VJ MEMORIAL DAY - The ill-fated 18th' and presentation to be given by David Williams about what happened to the men from East Anglian regiments who served in the Far East during World War II at Sudbury Arts Centre.
Tickets are free but booking is essential:
8.00pm - VJ Day 80 Service at The War Memorial.
9.00pm - Lighting of The Beacon Ceremony at The Croft, St. Gregory Street.
About VJ Day & Sudbury Heritage Centre
The 80th anniversary of VJ Day (Victory over Japan) takes place on Friday 15 August 2025, commemorating the end of the Second World War.
While VE Day (Victory in Europe) marked the end of the war in Europe in May 1945, many thousands of Armed Forces personnel were still engaged in fighting in the Far East. Victory over Japan would come at a heavy price, and Victory over Japan Day (VJ Day) marks the day Japan surrendered on 15 August 1945, which ended the Second World War.
Fighting in the Asia-Pacific took place from Hawaii to North East India. Britain and the Commonwealth’s principle fighting force, the Fourteenth Army, was one of the most diverse in history – more than 40 languages were spoken, and all the world’s major religions represented.
The descendants of many of the Commonwealth veterans of that army are today part of multicultural communities around the world, a lasting legacy to the success and comradeship of those who fought in the Asia-Pacific.
Sudbury's Heritage Centre housed within the Town Hall with the entrance on Gaol Lane features a comprehensive display about the local men who fought in the two World Wars and the WWII Sudbury Roll of Honour featuring the names and stories of the 60 Sudbury who made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of freedom.
The Heritage Centre is free, fully accessible and open Monday - Saturday. Further details can be found here.
