The Army Benevolent Fund hosted their VJ Day Celebration Dinner at the Indian Army Memorial Room at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst to mark the 80th Anniversary of VJ Day. They were joined by Dame Penelope Keith as the guest speaker who regaled the audience with her stories of her acting career and read a few letters home from soldiers serving in the Far East during WW2 as a poignant recollection of what the ‘Forgotten Army’ experienced.
This Celebration Dinner raised over £10K and these funds will continue to support ABF’s work with soldiers, former soldiers and the families in times of hardship or need.
The event was held at the prestigious Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, the world-leading military training academy where all future officers in the British Army are trained to take on the responsibility of leading their soldiers. With strong links to both Indian soldiers and, more recently, the Gurkhas, the Indian Army Memorial Room was the perfect place to celebrate this anniversary.
Dame Penelope is a long-standing supporter of the ABF and many other charities. She has won many accolades for her work on television and on the stage. This year, she fronted the retrospective The Good Life: Inside Out – to celebrate 50 years of the iconic BBC programme. She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2014 New Year Honours for services to the arts and to charity.
Dame Penelope Keith, said:
“It was such an honour to be at this evening’s VJ Celebration Dinner and to support the work of The Army Benevolent Fund. I enjoyed meeting the guests and events such as these are vital to ABF’s work in providing a lifeline to serving soldiers, former soldiers and their immediate families when they are in need or hardship.”
Spokesperson for ABF said:
“This evening VJ celebration Dinner was a huge success and I would like to thank everyone who turned up and supported our event. Their generosity helps us carry out our work with individuals and other charities assisting soldiers, veterans and their families. I particularly want to thank Dame Penelope for coming along and making it an evening to remember.”
“VJ Day marks Japan’s surrender to the Allied forces and the end of the Second World War. While it was a cause of celebration, there was great sadness too. The human cost was enormous with over 90,000 British troops injured, 30,000 deaths and 37, 500 were held as prisoners of war. We should never forget their sacrifices and give our grateful recognition to those soldiers who fought and those who lost their lives.”