WW2 veteran moves Queen Camilla to tears

A 104-year-old veteran reflects on Burma front memories and the weight of empire as a royal moment goes emotional.

WW2 veteran moves Queen Camilla to tears at VJ Day service

At a VJ Day 80th anniversary service in Staffordshire, Capt Yavar Abbas, now 104, stepped onto the stage and spoke about his experiences on the Asian front. He broke from his prepared remarks to salute King Charles III and Queen Camilla, noting that the king is undergoing cancer treatment. The moment moved the royals and the crowd, drawing attention to one of the war’s last surviving Indian soldiers who served with the British Indian Army.

Abbas was born in Charkhari in British India and joined the 11th Sikh regiment in 1939. He later trained as a combat cameraman with the British 14th Army to document Burma’s battles, filming Imphal Kohima, and the advance toward Mandalay. His rushes were sent to Calcutta, where they were edited for propaganda or newsreels. He witnessed Hiroshima after the war and later built a long career with the BBC as a filmmaker.

The moment shows memory in motion. Abbas uses a royal platform to speak about fear, sacrifice, and the hope that independence would come. His stance complicates the standard hero tale by recognizing imperial faults while honoring soldiers who fought for a cause bigger than themselves.

The piece also anchors memory in tangible traces. Abbas’s diary, his battlefield footage, and the memory of Hiroshima remind us that war leaves wounds long after the guns fall. The royal moment invites readers to think about how nations remember empire and the people who fought under its banner.

Highlights

Memory travels with the camera as much as with the mind.