With the Japanese capitulation General Heitaro Kimura and his staff surrender their swords to their British counterparts in a formal ceremony at Twelfth Army headquarters in Rangoon, Burma.

Senior British officers taking their place on the parade ground at Twelfth Army HQ. Lieutenant-General Sir Montagu Stopford, commander of Twelfth Army, inspects the guard of honour. Japanese officers unbuckling their swords. The Japanese officers present their swords to British officers. Lieutenant-General Sakurai, commander of Japanese 28th Army, presents his sword to Brigadier J D Shapland. Japanese officers saluting. Japanese officers marching away. Guard of honour marching off. Wide shot of Indian troops marching off. Cameraman Sergeant Higgins amuses himself, and finishes his roll of film, by shooting his slate number board with slate and/or camera at various angles including upside down.

Notes

To the British the surrender of swords was considered a vital part of the demilitarisation of Japan. Hoping to avoid a parallel to the end of the First World War, where the German Army marched home with its arms and plausibly 'undefeated', it was hoped that the formal surrender of swords would make the reality of defeat incontestible.

In his memoirs, published in 1956, General Slim (commander of 14th Army which reconquered Burma) refers to General Kimura's sword as 'now on my mantelpiece, where I always intended one day it should be'.

This ceremony was covered by a number of other cameramen and in stills held by the IWM Photograph Archive. See related items.