The Queen recalls 'six long years of unremitting hardship and
sacrifice' during a commemorative event on Horse Guards Parade, London, to mark
the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, 10 July 2005The Second World
War ended in Europe in May sixty years ago, but continued until September in the
Pacific. Today we commemorate all those who lived, worked and fought through six
long years of unremitting hardship and sacrifice.
We remember also the unswerving support of the people of the Commonwealth, the
United States and of all our allies; it was the triumph of this great alliance
that saved the world from tyranny.
Those years of sacrifice have not been in vain. The horror of that conflict
inspired the creation of the United Nations, the North Atlantic Treaty
Organisation, and the European Union.
Sadly, we cannot claim that the world has been free from war - or terror - for
the last sixty years, but in Europe at least we have been faithful to all those
who lost their lives in that great struggle with a vigorous determination to
build on what unites rather than divides us.
I am sure that this commemoration will encourage those who have lived through
these post-war years of peace and prosperity to reflect on the debt they owe to
our wartime generation.
It does not surprise me that, during the present, difficult days for London,
people turn to the example set by that generation - of resilience, humour,
sustained courage, often under conditions of great deprivation. That example and
those memories should be kept alive by younger generations as they in turn
strive to keep the peace in our troubled world.
But there is another reason why we must never forget. An act of remembrance is
an act of honour - to those who sacrificed all, who bore the sufferings of war,
who had the wisdom to build the peace. It is a tribute to you the veterans and
your loved ones.
At this special occasion I wish to express on behalf of the nation our
admiration, our respect and our thanks to you for what you gave all those years
ago in the cause of freedom and our way of life - which we shall continue to
defend as you did.
This page and its contents are �2008 Copyright by Geraldine Voost and may
not be reproduced without the authors permission. Send comments and feedback to
This page was last updated on: Tuesday, 12-Jul-2005 09:23:53 CEST
Disclaimer