Remembering VJ Day 60 years on

Hundreds of veterans gathered in London to mark the 60th Anniversary of VJ Day – the allied victory over Japan at the end of the Second World War.

The Prince of Wales led the commemorations at the Cenotaph in Whitehall. Afterwards he met veterans and paid tribute to what he called a “special generation”.

In a poignant but less formal ceremony, Viscount Slim laid a wreath at the memorial dedicated to his father, Field Marshal Slim who led allied forces to victory in Burma. Moments before, he told BFBS reporter Peter Russell what the day meant to him. Listen to his interview

IMATT in Sierra Leone

British troops are working to rebuild Sierra Leone's military, five years on from the civil war that devastated the country. BFBS reporter Susie Ferguson travelled to Freetown, Kenema and Bo to find out more.

The mostly British International Military Advisory and Training Team (IMATT) will be in the country for at least another ten years, regenerating the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) and teaching the students and instructors. And for the first time in fifteen years there's a formal promotion - taking lieutenants to captain.

It hasn't all gone smoothly though. As the British have handed more of the army training to the Sierra Leonians, allegations of abuse against local instructors have surfaced. British troops say they're determined to stamp out the alleged abuse.

Corruption in Sierra Leone is a problem British service men and woman face daily. Many of them say it hampers their ability to do their job and achieve goals during their 12 months in the country.

Recruiting Gurkha Soldiers

Tens of thousands of young Nepalis have been battling it out for a place in the annual recruitment programme of the Brigade of Gurkhas.

With only 230 spaces, the numbers are whittled down, and only a thousand make it to the Central Selection at Pokhara, in the Himalayan foothills. Here, the potential recruits are pitted against each other in a battery of physical, education and medical tests.

They’ve all been training hard – some even at special academies, which have developed in Nepal to coach the youngsters in English and maths and put them through stringent physical workouts.

The British army doesn’t approve of the academies, but they’ve developed because the competition to join is so fierce. That’s because the army provides the chance of a good job with a good salary, in a troubled country where both are difficult to come by.

The number of potential recruits in the running for a place is reduced all the time as they fail at different levels. But those who make it through a week, then get the chance to prove themselves in the toughest physical test – the infamous doko race.

Searching for FEPOWs in Nepal

The British Government is actively looking for former Gurkha soldiers who were Far East Prisoners of War. They may qualify for a one-off payment of ten thousand pounds.

Much of Nepal is inaccessible by road, making it difficult for the former Gurkhas – who are now more than 80 years old – to make their claims. Having targeted the more densely populated regions of the country, a team of officials is now widening its search to more remote rural areas.

Rachel Alderson went with the FEPOW team on one of their recent trips.