The Fall of Naimur.
THE YPRES TIMES
3
At 4.30 p.m. a wreath was laid on the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior by the two
V.C.s, in company of a large assembly, and the Canon-in-Residence gave the following
address
On behalf of the Dean and Chapter, I welcome the members of the Ypres League who have
come here to commemorate the great sacrifice of their fellows in that extraordinary event of the war.
The least we can do is year by year to bear their memory in mind, the sacrifices they made. As we
learn more about the origins of war and the causes which led to it, we begin to see how much the sacrifice
might have been avoided, how the nations of the world, the statesmen and the people are corporately
responsible for conditions which lead to war. Therefore, the highest tribute we can pay to those, the
honourable dead, is to so readjust our national and international relations that war shall become
impossible. When war was done withif it ever was done withwe had to go round and negotiate
terms of peace, and that we could have done before the war if we would, but we did not will it, and
the nations corporately must take responsibility before God.
I have indicated one lesson, that we shall pray and labour for peace, that it may be permanent
throughout the world. It is not enough to pray unless we also labour. There is an old Spanish proverb
which says Pray devoutly but hammer stoutly.' Your hammerings and your labouring is proof of
your sincerity in prayer. We must not say Let there be peace and then go about our business
and forget all about it. We have to create peace. Our Lord said in the Beatitudes Blessed are the
peacemakers.' It took years to build the Abbey and it will take years to build peace, but we must go
on building it or else it will never be completed.
The second lesson is this. No criticism about the origins of war no hopes about the future peace
no judgments on our soldiers in charge, the generals, and the War Office and the rest touches for an
instant the fact that many of those men made their sacrifice for their native land and for the peace of
the world as they believed to be necessary for them to do.
Therefore, I say in the eyes of God, their sacrifice is accepted as such. He knows, that especially
the great numbers that first volunteered did it out of sheer chivalry for England and noble ideas. They
were brave and chivalrous and, I am told, gay. They were gay even in the midst of most dis
tressing circumstances. There was a wonderful fellowship among them in the army which we have
not yet imitated since the war, at home. The great lesson is sacrifice, chivalry, bravery, and fellowship.
May God rest their souls in peace, and may radiant light perpetually shine upon them until the
Perfect Day."
We feel it opportune to quote the true words of Lieut.-Colonel G. S. Hutchison,
D.S.O., M.C., from his article YpresSanctuary of Comradeship (Ypres Times,
Vol. V, No. 8)
There is a comradeship between men who served before Ypres, men drawn
from all ranks of life and as the war years recede the strength of this bond increases.
It is intangible yet dynamic, undetermined yet vivid, illogical yet born of nature
herself transcending all commonplace emotion and family affection, indeed the
love of David and Jonathan. If the clamour of the market-place, the bickerings
of political factions and the disillusion of the Peace have weakened faith in that
comradeship, then go back to Ypres; Saturate yourself in its atmosphere,
sample again that soil, soaked with the blood of comradeship, and whosë shrines
are steeped with a spiritual love which passeth all human understanding."
Come, let us crown our valiant dead They claim our weapons, not our tears
No wringing hands, no wail of words Dying, they raised a single plea
They gave their lives, and we must give That, grimly strong, we would avenge
Death's triumph to them with our swords. And crown their graves with Victory.
(Reprinted from Days of Destiny," by kind permission of Lord Gorell, C.B.E., M.C.)
