‘We Were There’ review: Veterans of ‘forgotten war’ in the Far East have their final say in VJ Day documentary

80 years on from Victory over Japan Day, survivors of the last brutal months of WWII in Asia give their first-hand accounts, in Rachel Burden’s excellent film

Members of the British forces search for Japanese soldiers in Burma (now Myanmar), in the final months before VJ Day in 1945. Photo: Getty Images

Field Marshal William Joseph 'Bill' Slim (right) led the 14th Army, the so-called 'forgotten army', in the Burma campaign. Photo: Universal Images/Getty

105-year-old Royal Marines veteran James 'Jim' Wren. Photo: PA Images via Getty

One of the most poignant moments in the documentary VJ Day 80: We Were There (BBC2, Wednesday, August 13) is also one of its most understated.

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