Old soldiers mark the day the fighting died

Keith Pratt (left) assists veteran Fred Anderson during the VJ remembrance ceremony in Auckland. Picture / Paul Estcourt

A handful of elderly Solomon Island veterans welcomed New Zealand World War II servicemen to the capital of Honiara yesterday to commemorate the end of the end of the war in the Pacific.

"They are very old but they had to come," said 85-year-old Jackson Koria as he greeted the 80 New Zealand veterans who arrived aboard an Air Force Boeing 757. "I am very happy to see them."

The former servicemen were part of the Department of Veteran Affairs contingent - which included Veteran Affairs Minister George Hawkins, National MP Clem Simich and 70 Defence Force personnel - on a commemorative tour to the Pacific at the weekend to mark Japan's surrender to the Allies, known as VJ (Victory over Japan) Day.

Parades in main cities in New Zealand yesterday also marked Emperor Hirohito's announcement of a ceasefire on August 15, 1945, days after atomic bombs were dropped on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The veterans had spent Saturday at the New Zealand war cemetery in Bourail, New Caledonia, where more than 250 New Zealanders are buried. They were selected by ballot to join the contingent from 288 applications.

Former Air Force serviceman Robert Wise missed out on the ballot but, with another veteran from Christchurch, made his own way to the Solomons. "We missed the 50th anniversary and we missed the ballot for this one," said the 83-year-old. "We're getting old and had to get here."

The veterans attended a remembrance service in Honiara at the United States war memorial, which features a New Zealand section.

- NZPA