Welcome to the Official page of the Presidency of the Portuguese Republic

Portuguese,

We render today, in the whole of the Country, a just and heartfelt tribute to the fallen in World War I. We fulfil the commitment of Honour to maintain alive the memory of their example of dedication to the Homeland.

We do so facing the evocative monuments of the War, memorials that testify the efforts and sacrifices of thousands of Portuguese who were disposed to give their lives for Portugal, in the battle fields of Flanders, Angola and Mozambique, without forgetting those that died in the torment of captivity, in extreme misery and total oblivion.

The Great War decisively marked the course of contemporary European and World History. It was a disruption with multiple dimensions, which determined the end of great empires, redesigned the political map of Europe and altered the power relations amongst States.

It was the end of a long period of peace and of the illusion that the economic and financial interdependence of the powers would render improbable any act of aggression.

The first signs of the conflict were ignored. The outbreak of War resulted in surprise with its brutality and extension.

The beginning of the conflict occurred in a period of great instability in Portugal, going through a deep political and economic crisis which would lead to the compromising neglect of the Country’s military capability.

This reality did not inhibit the assuming of commitments when the necessary conditions were not available for the preparation and the support of the Military Forces, a decision that later was revealed as dramatic for the Country and for thousands of Portuguese.

From the History of the War remains the extraordinary example of courage and love for the Homeland of the Portuguese Soldier. A sublime testimony remains of an unbreakable will, of a capacity for suffering and of a limitless spirit of sacrifice of a handful of Portuguese who honoured Portugal in the African and Flanders battlefields.

Equally remaining forever were the histories and feats lived by simple men. The bonds of camaraderie forged in the hardiness of the campaign, the friendships and complicities in the share of bitter hours and in the fleeting moments of joy, the memory of those that fell at their side in the fulfilment of their duties, the families that shared in silence the pain of loss, the homes smitten by the never fulfilled voids and the projects that were never materialized.

They served Portugal with total renunciation and with the humility of the great.

Their efforts were not in vain.

It is vital that we look at and learn with the past, never withholding the values of Peace and Freedom, and never underestimating the effort of those who conquered these and keep them alive.
Portuguese,

The weapons of this cruel conflict were silenced long ago, as well as the voices of the fallen soldiers who found the end of suffering in their final rest. What were left was their example and their legacy for future generations.

But also left was the severe lesson of the Country’s failure in assuming such demanding commitments, from which resulted the lack of preparation and the neglecting of our servicemen, with tragic consequences and high human costs.

The memory of the Great War must be seen as a tribute to sacrifice, to the value and character of the Portuguese Soldier.

In the words of the last message of a young Lieutenant to his Soldiers, remembering their fallen mates:

“All may forget them except us (…) we have to bow to the respect ingrained by those who remained in this crusade of the new century. May they rest – the fallen heroes”.

Portugal shall not forget them.