Speech by HM Consul General at Haut Nistos cemetery, 3rd July 2004.

(photo by Chris Stone)

It is a great honour and privilege for me to be with you here today to commemorate the events of 1944. This ceremony shares the spirit of the recent commemorations in Normandy of the landings there 60 years ago.

We are here today to pay homage to the sacrifice of seven young men in particular. These men died so that we who follow them might live in freedom and democracy.

The kind of operation undertaken on the night of the 13-14th July, 1944 required enormous courage and skill. Despite the bad weather conditions the crew kept to their task but, seven kilometres from the drop target, the plane crashed against the side of the mountain where we are standing. The official record of 624 Squadron notes simply "No contact after take-off. Plane did not return".

On behalf of Her Majesty's Government, I thank those who in 1944 came to this place to respectfully bury the remains of these young airmen. I thank sincerely the people of this valley who, over the past 60 years, first built and have since maintained this cemetery, and who continue through this annual ceremony and the whole year round to look after his place and keep alive the memory of these events. We know that whether in the heat of the summer or the cold of the winter, this place is always to be found tidy and with fresh flowers on display. There could be no greater devotion than this,and we pass to all concerned our sincere thanks and recognition.

We also pay homage to the innumerable members of the French Resistance of the Second World War, including those were honoured at last night's ceremony in Lannemezan. The courage and selflessness of these French men and women, in the fight for truth and freedom during the dark years of the war, will remain in our memories. Many made the ultimate sacrifice of their lives during this noble struggle.

Some months after the crash at Haut Nistos - in December 1944 - another Halifax bomber of the Royal Air Force crashed on another mountain, this time in Sweden. On this occasion most of the crew were able to escape by parachute before the crash. Nevertheless, one man was still killed. One of the survivors was my father who is now 83 years old. We shall never understand why, during this terrible conflict 60 years ago, some were chosen to die and others to live. But this is also why it is a privilege and an honour for me, as a representative of Her Majesty's Government but also in my own name, to share this occasion with you today. We pay homage to these men. They were not chosen to survive, and paid the ultimate price.

Exhortation (in French)

Aucune ride a leur front, nous seuls vieillirons.

Pour eux, plus de temps; pour nous le passage des ans.

Que leur souvenir demeure,

A l'aube comme aux derniers lueurs.

Tom Kennedy

HMCG

Bordeaux

BACK