BATTLE OF BRITAIN ‘LACE’
On Friday, 15 August 2025, Australians will mark the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Pacific (VP) Day, a historic moment that ended the Second World War in the Pacific. The AFAV RAAF Radar Branch and Victorian RAAF Radar Association invite Australians to join commemorative events at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne and the Australian War Memorial in Canberra to honour our veterans’ service and sacrifice.
A wreath-laying ceremony will take place at 11:00 am at the Shrine of Remembrance’s Second World War Memorial Forecourt. This free, wheelchair-accessible, and child-friendly event commemorates 15 August 1945, when Japan’s surrender ended six years of conflict. Over 45,000 Australians lost their lives during the war, and the announcement sparked celebrations with church services, concerts, and parades as over 200,000 service members and thousands of former prisoners of war began returning home.
In Canberra, David Westwood, a RAAF Radar Mechanic and one of the last surviving WWII Centenarian RAAF Radar Veterans, will attend the Australian War Memorial’s commemoration. For the first time, the critical role of RAAF Radar units, long kept secret, will be formally recognised, with Westwood representing his peers, joined by his wife, Edith, and son, Ken.
George Runting, a RAAF Radar Operator, has shared his memories of the 1945 victory celebrations in interviews with Channel 7 and RSL Victoria, with parts featured in the Shrine’s Facebook promotion. Members of the AFAV RAAF Radar Branch and Victorian RAAF Radar Association, including President Chris Harnath and Stuart McKellar, will carry the RAAF Radar banner at the Shrine’s ceremony, and all are welcome to attend.
The AFAV RAAF Radar Branch and Victorian RAAF Radar Association will hold a reunion meeting on Thursday, 4 September 2025, at Bentleigh RSL, featuring guest speaker Jason Cook, Chief Marshall of Melbourne’s ANZAC Day March, and a report from David Westwood on the Canberra commemorations.
For more details, visit shrine.org.au.
Pictured here –
L-R Front Row: David Westwood, George Runting and Beryl Mainon
L-R Back row: John Clarkson AFA Vic, WGCDR Nikki Clements, Senior ADF Officer Williams, Warrant Officer Brad Parmenter and Col Jason Cooke, Chief Marshall, Melbourne Shrine March 2025
Image courtesy of AFAV RAAF RADAR BRANCH/VIC RAAF RADAR ASSOC.