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This year marks the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second
World War, and ceremonies will be held throughout the United
Kingdom to give thanks for the British and Allied victory.
There will be a deep sense of gratitude and pride as people
reflect on the awesome sacrifice of so many brave men and
women in the cause of liberty and justice.
There are still many veterans of the conflicts of World War
Two alive, although the youngest are now in their late 70s.
Indeed, the majority of people in Northern Ireland, as in
other parts of the UK were not even born when Nazi Germany
and Imperial Japan were crushed in 1945.
That should not diminish the sense of loss over so many lives,
or the feeling of deep gratitude towards those who made the
Supreme Sacrifice.
Nothing should ever erase the memory of such a huge sacrifice,
and this generation, like others to follow, owe it to their
gallant forefathers to ensure that 'Their name liveth for
ever more'.
Northern Ireland stood four square with the rest of the United
Kingdom in the 1939-45 conflict. As in the 1914-18 War, all
those from the province who served in HM Forces did so as
volunteers.
Conscription was not introduced in Northern Ireland in 1939-45,
or in Ireland in the Great War, due to the opposition of the
Roman Catholic Church and Nationalist Party.
In spite of this, tens of thousands of Ulstermen, of both
religions, joined the Forces and served with bravery and distinction
in all theatres of war.
The Orange Order made a noble contribution to both war efforts.
In 1916 thousands of Ulster Orangemen were killed or wounded
on the Somme.
Before the guns had fallen silent in Europe on November 11,
1918, tens of thousands of Orangemen from all parts of the
British Empire had answered their last Roll Call.
The Irish Orange sacrifice was immense. It was the same in
Scotland, and in traditional Orange strongholds in England
like Merseyside, where many fine Orangemen died on battlefields.
Canada, which then had an immense Orange population, suffered
grievously, with thousands killed and wounded. The sacrifice
by Orangemen from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa
was also tremendous.
Orangemen died in large numbers in the United States Army
in the 1914-18 War, as the Order had a substantial membership
in that country in those days.
Orangemen serving with the British, Canadian and Australian
Forces won the Victoria Cross, and many other honours.
In the Second World War the sons of those brave men answered
the King and Country call in huge numbers. The numbers killed
were not on the same scale as the slaughterhouse of the Great
War, but they were still mind boggling.
During the Second World War, although there were no Orange
parades back in Northern Ireland, many of the Orangemen serving
in the Forces held impromptu parades on the 'Twelfth' to celebrate
the anniversary of the Boyne.
There are newspaper reports of makeshift banners being carried,
and sashes being worn by Ulstermen in Burma, in North Africa,
and other places, serving with the Army.
For the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the losses
sustained in the two World Wars were on such a colossal scale
that they undoubtedly contributed to the demise of the Empire
within a few years of the cessation of hostilities.
A tired, bankrupt and weakened Britain did not have the power
or the will to hold on to India, Ceylon and the other great
places of the Empire.
The formation of the Commonwealth did at least maintain the
British tradition overseas and provide some compensation for
such a loss. But the treatment of great loyal Dominions like
Canada, Australia and New Zealand by post-war British Governments
was nothing short of shameful.
Britain to a large extend turned its back on its kith and
kin, and opted for closer ties with Europe, including former
enemies like Germany and Italy.
It is a blot on this country's record that people from European
countries with no blood ties and little knowledge and affection
for Britain are allowed easy entry into airports in England,
yet British Commonwealth citizens from Canada, Australia and
New Zealand have to queue, with often lengthy delays before
they are admitted.
In spite of all this the commonwealth has remained a visible
force for good, embracing countries throughout the globe,
and Her Majesty the Queen has shown dedicated leadership as
Head of the Commonwealth.
The Queen pledged to serve the Commonwealth, and has remained
true to her promise, her many visits to Canada, Australia
and other countries giving great cause for celebration on
the part of her subjects.
It is time to revive the Commonwealth concept and to redress
a lot of the wrongs and the neglect shown by the Mother Country
towards lands where the British link is still cherished.
European membership has weakened many great British traditions
but it must not be allowed to dilute the commitment to the
Commonwealth - a Commonwealth which has contributed so much
in blood and sacrifice to the United Kingdom in World Wars
and other smaller conflicts.
Men like the Australian premier Bill Menzies, and his Canadian
counterpart John Diefenbaker did an enormous lot in post-war
years to advance the Commonwealth ideal.
Sadly, since the Winston Churchill-Clement Attlee era, there
have been few prominent UK supporters of the Commonwealth,
apart from a few exceptions including Hugh Gaitskell, Enoch
Powell, and our own Lord Brookeborough.
It is time for others to launch a new Commonwealth crusade
and to instil fresh pride and meaning into the noble cause.
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