2025 VJ Day 80th Anniversary

On Friday 15 August 2025 the nation, including Deddington, marked the 80th anniversary of this victory with a 2-minute silence at 12.00 during a service at the War Memorial. Preceding this our church bells pealed for half an hour in celebration of the end of WWII. The so-called ‘Forgotten Army’ had had to carry on fighting in the Far East long after the war in Europe had been won. Nine men left Deddington for the far side of the world. They were remembered by name during the service - Sid Berry, Bill Bignold, Jockey Callow (who survived being a PoW on the infamous Burma Railway), Ron Canning, Sam Keyes, Les Legerton, Len Plumbe, Harold Pratt and Harry Sorrell. However, only eight returned. Henry (Harry) Sorrell, who was a Driver in the Royal Corps of Signals, had been captured by the Japanese in Thailand^*. He was drowned in September 1944 when the unmarked Japanese cargo ship MV Rakuyo Maru, on which he was being transported as POW slave labour to Japan, was sunk by a US Navy submarine unaware of its human cargo. A total of 1,159 British and Australian POWs were lost. He had 5 sisters  some of whom had been evacuated to Deddington at the beginning of the war. Two of them, DoL and Ada,  married Deddington soldiers Frank Tarling and Arthur Bliss who both served in the war in Europe. Descendants of three of the sisters were present and cousins June and Anita  laid a wreath in memory of their Uncle on behalf of all the families.[Courtesy Deddington News September 2025] 

^*The story of Harry Sorrell and his family can be found HERE and more about Deddington soldiers who fought in the Far East, some of whom became Japanese POWs, can be found HERE

 click on all pics to see enlarged images or a video 

Piper Stewart Carnegie leads the Branch Standard to the War Memorial 

 The Last Post [click on the link for the video]

 "We will Remember them" The Branch President, Major David Hood MC, recites The Ode [click on image for the video]