A couple of months ago we celebrated the 80th Anniversary of VE Day. In 1945 this was a day of great rejoicing – there was dancing in the streets and a huge sense of relief. My mother used to recall being outside Buckingham Palace on that day, and the wonderful party atmosphere after nearly six years of war.

But the war wasn’t over in the Far East, and it is easy to forget that thousands more died before the Japanese surrender on August 15, 1945. Although the surrender was on August 15, violence did not immediately end, and indeed the surrender document was not actually signed until September 2, 1945. In America, VJ Day is celebrated on September 2.

Known as ‘Victory in the Pacific Day’ in Australasia, this final peace of the Second World War had the same impact that VE Day had in Europe. In Europe, the celebration was more subdued, and as we commemorate it today 80 years on, it is much harder to see it as a day of celebration.

The war in the Far East had been a horrible theatre of war with a huge cost in terms of suffering and death. It is shocking that civilian deaths due to military activity or crimes against humanity were: half a million in Malaya and Singapore, up to a million in Burma, up to a million in the Philippines and – more shocking still – eight million civilian deaths in China. The toll of death and suffering in China is frequently forgotten. In all these countries, millions more died from famine and disease caused by war.

The war in the Far East has been described as the ‘War without Mercy’ – and indeed it was. The military faced a harsh climate and terrain that made everyday life very challenging, and the treatment of military and civilians alike in prisoner of war camps makes uncomfortable reading even for those accustomed to the horrors of war.

So on this day we remember not only those who fought bravely, but also those men, women and children who were caught up in the savagery of total war.

But there were also stories that continue to inspire. All those who have watched Chariots of Fire will know of Eric Liddell, who refused to run for a gold medal on a Sunday because of his deep-seated belief that Sundays were the Sabbath, the Lord’s Day. Perhaps hard to understand in this modern world, but a moral stand that can only be admired – whatever your beliefs.

What few people know is that Eric Liddell went on to be a missionary in China and was interned along with thousands of Chinese and expatriate civilians in a Japanese civilian internment camp. He did his best to maintain morale by providing activities for teenagers. It soon became clear that trouble brewed every Sunday when no activities were provided. So the man who gave up his personal chance of a gold medal because he would not break the Sabbath, put his own unbreakable moral code aside to organise football on the Sabbath – for the greater good of people living in horrific conditions.

Eric Liddell died in a Japanese civilian internment camp in China in 1945.

So, while 80 years on, we remember the death, the suffering and the horror, we should also remember the bravery, the self-sacrifice, the support for fellow sufferers, the resilience and the kindness that arose during these horrific times.

Even if we do not especially celebrate VJ Day, we should celebrate the ability of humans to maintain integrity and goodness even when surrounded by evil so great that it should subvert their spirit.