Petition · past parliament · Cabinet Office

Move the August Bank holiday to celebrate VJ-Day and the end of WW2 in the East

Rejected 11 signatures

What the petition asks

I ask Parliament and the Government to move the bank holiday (as they did for May) to celebrate the actual end of WW2 75 years ago.
I ask that, as VJ-Day (15th August) falls on a Saturday, that the bank holiday be on Friday 14th (when Japan announced its surrender) or Monday 17th.
To help people remember that fighting continued by the Allied nations after victory in Europe.

Captain Tom Moore served in the Far East and this change of bank holiday date would commemorate the efforts of himself and many other like him who served in the 14th Army and those from colonial and allied nations who were involved.

It does a disservice to those who fought and suffered only to make changes to celebrate one part of the war, but not the other.

Why it was rejected

There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.

Timeline

8 May 2020 Petition opened for signatures
17 Jul 2020 Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 11
Status Rejected
Department Cabinet Office
Rejected 17 Jul 2020

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.