AS the guns fell silent on May 8, 1945 after the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany, the fighting was not yet over in the Pacific.

Three battalions of the Border Regiment, headquartered in Carlisle, and the 51st Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, nicknamed the Cumberland Gunners as most recruits hailed from the county, were among thousands still fighting the Japanese in the Far East.

The fighting continued until six days after the United States’ atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki in southern Japan.

On August 15 the Japanese surrendered, effectively signalling an end to World War Two. Saturday will mark 75 years since that historic day, with special celebrations taking place across the county.

Carlisle Castle, the former depot of the Border Regiment, will be hosting members of the Military Vehicle Trust, who will bring a variety of Second World War vehicles, including the light machine gun armament Bren Carrier and a Dodge Ambulance.

Re-enactor John Sadler will be showcasing objects from the Burma campaign and two reservist soldiers from Workington-based C (Kohima) Company will be on hand to talk about the modern-day army.

The museum has also curated a temporary external display which will be on view until the end of this month, which will showcase photographs from the museum’s collections and words from those who served in the ‘Forgotten Army’ in the Burma Campaign.

The campaign encompasses a series of battles fought between the Republic of China and the US-supported forces of the British Empire against Japan.

Tony Parrini, branch secretary of the Carlisle and Stanwix Branch of the Royal British Legion, said: “There was a lot of suffering during the Burma campaign, a lot of people were badly scarred, injured and died.

“When the army came back to the UK and the various home continents people felt they (the forces in Burma) had lost the war over what happened in Singapore.

“It was one of the biggest defeats the British had been involved in.

“A lot of them were not very proud of what happened and wanted to hide the whole thing and move on.

“75 years later we now accept what they went through and it is important to recognise the suffering they went through and that it was a situation which led to the end of the world war and essentially 75 years of world peace.”

Jules Wooding, museum manager at Cumbria’s Museum of Military Life at Carlisle Castle, said: “Our initial plans have had to change, due to restrictions, however, marking the 75th anniversary of VJ Day is very important. Soldiers serving in the Far East felt they were forgotten.

“Whilst people at home celebrated the end of war in Europe, three battalions of the Border Regiment were part of the campaign to retake Burma.

“Alongside the Cumberland Gunners, they fought a brutal and costly war against a fanatical enemy.

“In collaboration with English Heritage, the Museum has worked within the current limitations to commemorate this day, remember those that were part of the Forgotten Army, and pay our respects. We must not forget them.”

Three Battalions of the Border Regiment involved in this campaign were:

  • The 2nd Battalion were part of the 20th Indian Division, fought at the Battle of Imphal in 1944 and advanced into Burma to evict the Japanese, returning to India in May 1945 to train for the invasion of Malaya.
  • The 4th Battalion, as the 34th Column and the 55th Column, trained in special operations as Chindits, and fought behind enemy lines in the Naga Hills
  • The 9th Battalion were part of the 17th Indian Division and like the 2nd Battalion, were involved in the Battle of Imphal, crossed the Irrawaddy, and encountered stiff fighting at Meiktila before heading down to Rangoon
  • The 51st Field Regiment, Royal Artillery (known as the Cumberland Gunners) previously the Westmorland and Cumberland Yeomanry, fighting as infantry they were also trained as Chindits and were involved in the 2nd Chindit Expedition in 1944.

All visits to the castle and museum are currently ticketed.

Tickets can be booked at www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/carlisle-castle. Toilets will be available and the café will be open between 11am and 4pm.