Toespraken

Dear Captain Wellington
Members of The Grenadier Guards

I am as mayor of Oudenaarde honoured to welcome you all in our town hall.

On July 11th 1708, The Grenadier Guards participated in the Battle of Oudenaarde, one of the battles of the War of the Spanish Succession. Thousands of soldiers were killed in the fields just outside the town walls. Today, Oudenaarde has twin towns in nearly every country that took part of the battle and we cherish the European idea.

300 years after the battle, ‘Oudenaarde 1708, a town, a king, a general’ is a peaceful top event. I hope you all enjoyed the exhibition and I am glad that The Grenadier Guards included a visit to our town and to the exhibition in your program.

The event started in may with an International Military Tattoo. One of the bands that played then, was The Band of the Royal Logistic Corps. They impressed all the visitors. We were sorry that the band of The Grenadier Guards was unable to come. Maybe at a next occasion.

In July a unique re-enactment was held on a scale seldom seen in Flanders. Through the participation of units from across Europe, the public – over 13.000 – experienced living history in both the military manoeuvres and in the vast encampments of the armies.

I hope you will find your visit to the actual battlefield interesting.

On behalf of the town council I offer you a drink before you leave. Let’s drink to peace!

Thank you

Terug naar overzicht