Madam the Ambassador, Ambassadors,
Excellencies,
Generals, Admirals,
Membersof the Commonwealth - Belgian Joint Committee,
Dearguests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is with the utmost honor that I am present at this 90th Anniversary of the Unveiling of the CWGC Ypres-site.
The ignorant might think that the Menin-gate is nothing more than a brick building, a gate from ancient times, a reminder of what once was. If we are gathered here today it is not to celebrate a brick building but to honor the exact location where so many young people marched onto the roads leading eastwards into the battlefields of the Ypres Salient.
If we are gathered here today it is not to celebrate a gate but to commemorate all those soldiers of the British Army and Commonwealth Forces who lost their lives fighting in the Ypres Salient. Many thousands of the men who marched onto the roads to the battlefields never returned. Fighting side by side in the trenches, surrounded by death and cruelty, they were truly united in their battle to protect our freedom and values.
Only few people can imagine the horror of war that these young soldiers experienced in and around the trenches. For too many soldiers their trenches became their grave. Far from home, in flanders fields.
Maybe the horror of war can only be captured in numbers. 300.000 of the soldiers of the British Army and Commonwealth Forces lost their lives in the Ypres salient. 300.000. They are the men who did not return to their families, their friends, their loved ones. A whole generation swept away. Of over 90,000 of them the remains have never been found or identified. 90.000. They are the men with no known grave. They are the men whose names are written on the stone panels of this gate. Maybe the horror of war can only be captured in numbers. Imagine this big building being too small to contain all the names of those whose bodies have never been identified or found.
We will soon celebrate the centenary of the ending of the great war. Meanwhile we have become accustomed to the stability and peace that our countries have known since the end of the Second World War. Robust international institutions such as NATO, the European Union and the United Nations strengthen us in the hope that we will never again know a war in our regions.
Hence, a major task rests on our shoulders. The objectives of my administration and those of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission are very similar. As minister of Defense, I take my responsibility of commemorating the war in our country very seriously.
I will fulfill this task with the upmost conviction. It's our moral duty to ensure that this message of peace continues to be heard all around. Especially since, today, so many places and people in the world are still dealing with the violence of armed conflicts.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
This is not a brick building, norisit a gate. It is a memorialthathelps us connectwith the suffering and the violence of war. The names of the advocates for peace are written on the wallssothat “theirnameliveth for evermore [...].
Fighting for peace, justice, democracy, humanrights and all of ourshared values is a noble cause. Every brave man whodeclaredhimselfready to givehis life for one of these causes, deservesourgreatest respect and gratitude.Let us never forget what Chesterton, a British journalist wrote: “The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.”
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Our nation will continue to pay tribute to the spirit of solidarity and sacrifice of these soldiers. We remain truly grateful for their help during the most precarious times in world history, and we will make sure that their sacrifices are always remembered and honored, by transmitting their personal stories to our younger generations.
With these words and my upmost respect for the work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission I would like to conclude my speech.
Thank you for your attention.
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Only the spoken word prevails