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Minister for National Defence,
Chief of the Army General Staff,
Mayor of Mealhada,
Your Royal Highness Duke of Kent,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

On this morning of the 27th September 1810, at this hour, fighting still went on. The result of the battle, however, was already a foregone conclusion.

The cypresses that grow in the Forest of Buçaco are still the same that overlooked the fighting on that day. And that witnessed the war in its entire dimension, the agony of human suffering side by side with the splendour of courage and patriotism. The rage of the vanquished and the joy of the victors.

Our army, dismembered as a consequence of the first French invasion, had commenced being reconstituted in 1808, with the strong support of England, our historic ally. Many of the officers which commanded our troops were British. Many others were Portuguese. This was their first great battle, under the leadership of General Wellesley, future Duke of Wellington.

The French Emperor, when accounting for the forces present, ignored our men, not even considering they could have a role to play. Due to this, he took it as granted that Marshal Massena, commanding the invading forces, would come off with an easy victory. He was wrong. He was totally wrong.

If there were any doubts on our side, and it was natural that there should be, with little prepared troops and inexperienced officers, at that hour certainties were born as to the valour of our army. The Portuguese distinguished themselves above all in body-to-body fighting, with bayonets, looking the enemy in the eyes, there, where individual pluck is submitted to the greatest of proofs.

Wellington asserted, then, and please allow us some paternalism, that “the troops of this nation showed that the work and zeal they had were not in vain, and that they are worthy of fighting in the same ranks as the British troops for such an honourable cause, to which they offer the best hopes of salvation”.

This was one of those moments in history when all was at stake, in one sole bid. A truly decisive battle

Marshal Massena had stated it very clearly, on the eve of the battle, on 26 September, when he announced, peremptorily:

“Tomorrow I will capture Portugal!”

It happens that the Portuguese did not want to be captured. Our future depended upon those soldiers. And they knew it.

They surpassed themselves. And the best army in the world, that which seemed unbeatable, that which was feared by the whole of Europe, was vanquished. It was vanquished because it was not allowed the final victory.

Commemorations are solemn re-creations of the past. They become present in the spirit of today’s Portuguese, as lofty acts which move and inspire us.

We respect the courage of all those who fought and we pay tribute to the memory of those who fell in that remote morning. We are here to comply with a solemn commitment, that of keeping alive the memory of their example of dedication to the Fatherland.

On occasions such as this, we feel the need to understand how it is possible to prepare men for the decisive fight. What will have been said by the Portuguese officers to arouse their soldiers?

Our cause was so evident and the mission of our soldiers so well understood by them that, as stated by Marshal Beresford, even “in the troops that did not go into action I viewed that most ardent desire to measure themselves against the enemy”.

For men of this fibre great words of encouragement might not even have been necessary. But we can imagine a Portuguese officer that, moments before the fighting, looks at the soldiers who will follow him into battle. Where we are located we could almost hear his voice, trembling with emotion, but determined, breaking the silence with these words:

Soldiers of Portugal,

The army that has invaded our land is climbing the slopes of this hill. In a matter of minutes we will fight him without quarter. And we will win.

We have to win, because we are not fighting to conquer, but not to be conquered.

We are not fighting to invade, but to make the invader retire.

We are not fighting to change the others, but in order that we are not made to change.

We will fight like our ancestors fought.

We will fight as will the Portuguese of the future.

Because we are fighting to defend our Fatherland.

We are fighting to defend our land.

We are fighting to defend our children and our families.

We are defending our life, our style of life, a product of this happy meeting between land, sun and sea, which gave the world a glorious history and a universal language.

We are defending our survival as a sovereign Nation, so that we can continue to be who we are and to have the right to act in line with our will.

In short, we are defending our freedom.

And, for this reason, we are going to win.

This is how I sense the words of encouragement which could have been stated on that morning of September 1810 and that even today should inspire us all, in our collective life as a people.

In the past, the Portuguese were always able to conquer adversity and to decide, in freedom, their own future as a sovereign and independent Nation. Whenever necessary, with the support of our allies. But counting mainly with our own virtues and capabilities.

Also today, to conquer the great challenges that we are facing, we depend above all upon our determination and our collective effort. We are duty bound, before our ancestors and before ourselves, to unite around solutions that are courageous, fair and responsible and that will allow us to ensure future development, security and well being for Portugal.