HL Deb 05 May 1995 vol 563 cc1547-50

Her Majesty's gracious Speech in reply to the Addresses, delivered to the Members of both Houses, was as follows:

"My Lords and Members of the House of Commons,

"I thank you for the loyal Addresses which, on your behalf, the Lord Chancellor and Madam Speaker have presented to me.

"I am delighted to join with both Houses of Parliament in giving heartfelt thanks as we approach the anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe. Together we thank God for the victorious end to that titanic struggle of fifty years ago.

"The years of the Second World War formed my youth. I remember my Father and Mother telling us at home of the courage and unity of purpose they encountered on all sides during their wartime travels, and of the overwhelming sense that we were all united in a common resolve. These memories have remained with me all my life.

"In making these national acts of thanksgiving this weekend, and again in August when we commemorate the end of the war in the Far East, we must remember especially those who did not come back. It is to their courage and heroic sacrifice that we owe our celebrations today. Let us therefore offer a prayer, for them and for the countless victims of Nazi persecution, in those ancient words used by Benjamin Britten in his War Requiem: 'Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord,

And let light perpetual shine upon them.' praying also for their wives, husbands and families whose vigils ended in heartbreaking loss and loneliness.

"We salute with pride the valour of our armed forces who brought us to victory; we remember the dark days of the Battle of Britain, when the pilots of the Royal Air Force fought in our skies to protect us from invasion: we remember when we stood alone in Europe—saved from starvation by the valour of the Royal Navy and of the Merchant Service in the Battle of the Atlantic. And we remember the better and brighter days later in the war when our Armies, reinvigorated and rearmed after the retreat from Dunkirk, were able to go on the offensive, first in North Africa, later in the Far East and finally in the triumphant invasion of Europe.

"As Head of the Commonwealth, I want to pay special tribute to the countries of the Commonwealth who, from the onset of war, were by our side. No law passed here at Westminster, no command from London, compelled the Dominions to help us from across the oceans—but help us they did. Their staunch and unfailing support with troops, arms and material was vital in the conflicts in Europe and in the Far East. Later, we were joined by the colossal power of the United States of America, and Russia. And so the mighty alliance was formed which brought us inexorably to that day we are commemorating here.

"But, as we know, it was not only the armed services who risked their lives; the civilian population as well, in these islands and abroad, played their essential part, and to them, too, we pay tribute. Indeed, we salute all those, especially those in the occupied countries, who, from the very beginning, refused to accept defeat.

"Lord Chancellor and Madam Speaker, I was moved by your references to my parents. Despite all their other preoccupations, they took the closest interest when I joined the ATS towards the end of the War. There, I learned a little about driving and the workings of the combustion engine, and much about the strength and happiness of comradeship. I have never forgotten either lesson—even the former still stands me in good stead from time to time!

"At the end of the war, my Father said: 'Let us think what it was that has upheld us through nearly six years of suffering and peril. The knowledge that everything was at stake: our freedom, our independence, our very existence as a people; the knowledge also that in defending ourselves we were defending the liberties of the whole world'.

"We knew then that we would have failed, that the labour and the wounds would have been vain, had our victory, won at the cost of so many precious lives, not led to lasting peace.

"But we did not fail. Although we have seen armed conflict, we have been blessed by fifty years without the scourge of a world war. We have also witnessed in this last half century a long period of unarmed conflict between the democratic countries of the West and those ruled by totalitarian regimes. It gave rise to the continuing alliance of the Western powers, united in NATO, to preserve together those principles of freedom and democracy which had sustained us during the war. In these last years that cold war has ended, and that, too, is surely cause for thanksgiving.

"Today, the development of the European Union has rendered the possibility of a major war in Europe even more remote. But, in spite of these mercies, there are in our world troubles and challenges enough to daunt the bravest spirit.

"We must not falter, hard though the going may sometimes be. Let us pledge that the sacrifices made in the war which ended fifty years ago should, under the providence of Almighty God, achieve all that they deserved—a lasting peace, founded on justice, freedom and Parliamentary government. In this ancient Hall, scene of so many great events in our history, I join with you in Parliament assembled in saying, in the words of the Psalm: 'The Lord will give strength unto his people; The Lord will give his people the blessing of peace'.

House adjourned at twenty minutes before one o'clock.