This year marks the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and Britain's Ministry of Defence has announced that the principal commemoration will take place in London on July 10. The date falls between the anniversaries of Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) and Victory against Japan Day (VJ Day).

Events will include a national service of remembrance at Westminster Abbey, a veterans’ lunch in the grounds of Buckingham Palace and events on Horse Guards' Parade and The Mall.

After the commemorative event on Horse Guards' Parade, Second World War standards and banners will be paraded from there to Admiralty Arch, and from there, led by a tri-Service band, up the Mall to the Queen Victoria Memorial and Buckingham Palace. A flypast of vintage aircraft will pass overhead, culminating in the release of thousands of poppies by a Lancaster bomber. Access to the official commemorative events will be by ticket primarily for veterans, but other events will be visible from London’s streets and vantage points. Website: www.mod.uk/aboutus/history.
London's Imperial War Museum and the Imperial War Museum North in Manchester, opened in 2002, will hold a variety of exhibitions and other events marking the anniversaries.
Website: www.iwm.org.uk.

The actual anniversaries of VE Day and VJ Day will be marked by wreath-laying ceremonies at the Cenotaph in Whitehall.

The commemoration will recognise not only the contribution of those who fought in the Services, but also the experience and sacrifice of all in the Nation during the war on the Home Front.