Japan Surrenders – Victory in the Pacific

Picture of Ron S. Read

Ron S. Read

Keynote speaker, Researcher, and Author

On the 15th August, 1945 Japan surrendered to the Allies and this immediately became known as V-P day or V-J Day to some! It has been since then a significant day to remember and commemorate. It is a day in which all Australians should come together to celebrate.

Japan Surrenders – Victory in the Pacific

15 August 1945

Good evening Ladies & Gentlemen, and welcome to the 75th anniversary dinner of the Victory in the Pacific.

What does it mean to us?

  • Australia did not experience the invasion by Japanese Imperial Forces as was intended. Certainly, had we been invaded we would undoubtedly be a different Australia to the one we all know today

 

  • The killings ceased; we had lost already more than 17,000 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Australian Army Nurses during the 5-year Pacific Campaigns

 

  • Our courageous men and women of our armed forces AND Nurses captured during the 1940 – 1945 campaigns and who have been held prisoner (in many POW Camps in less than humane conditions) by Japanese Forces, and for many, as long as 3 1/2 years, will be returned home to us

 

and for me personally:

 

  • My Mother, Signalwoman Eileen Grogan, Australian Woman’s Army Service (AWAS), and my Father, Sgt Jack Read of the 2nd A I F will no longer be in ‘harms-way’ like so many other couples, so that could return to normality and start a family.

 

V-P day is a day of celebration as it should be.

There is no-doubt that if prevailing circumstances (COVID) where different, there would be celebrations the length and breadth of Australia today and tonight, and, quite rightly so for this is a significant day for every Australian, even those who will be borne tonight and tomorrow!

Book Ron to come to your venue and deliver this ‘heart-warming’ story and what it meant for so many.

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HMAS ARMIDALE

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On December 1st, 1942, Australian Corvette HMAS Armidale was hit three times by torpedoes launched by enemy torpedo bombers 150 miles off the Timor coast.

The Commanding Officer gave the order to “abandon ship” and all but one sailor did! Ordinary Seaman Teddy Sheean strapped himself onto an Oerlikon gun and began spraying the enemy aircraft with 20 mm shells, sparring his ship-mates in life boats from being strafed by the enemy aircraft.

Sheean went down with his ship. Following years of lobbying in order to be recognized for his courage and his selflessness, Teddy Sheean was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross (VC), 78 years to the day on December 1, 2020

The story of some very remarkable ships

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Following the out-break of WW2 Australia required small “mine sweeping” ships to ensure that our major harbors, ports and sea-lanes were safe and secure from enemy mines and submarines
The result was an Australian designed and built ship of about 1,000 tones built under our “wartime shipbuilding program” of 1940, 41, 42 and 43.
Australian ship-yards delivered 60 of these ships in LESS than three years, a remarkable achievement by anyone’s standard.

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