Mr Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen, may I reply briefly to the wonderful speech which you have just made?
You have sketched so graphically the historic links between this city and my country. We are both seafaring peoples so we use the seas as the highways of the world. We are both proud peoples, so we are forever ready to defend our nationhood and we have been fortunate to have the wonderful experience today of going up to lay a wreath on the monument of Westerplatte, whose people demonstrated so clearly that from the day when their nationhood was challenged without any warning, they were going to fight for it until victory was secured.
And thirdly, from the ashes of your cities, and from ours, we both rebuilt our countries, rebuilding in doing so more than the buildings, but rebuilding the spirit of the people. [end p1]
I believe very strongly with you that the next generation should be brought up knowing the glories of the past and the great battles of history that have been won so that we might continue to live our own way of life in our own countries. You have done that in Gdansk and it is wonderful to see the pictures of the ruins alongside those of the rebuilt city.
I come on this visit to renew our historic links of friendship and perhaps, I hope, to forge new ones as strong as the old, it not even stronger.
We have great admiration and affection for the people of Poland. I have had a wonderful day in this great city which I shall forever remember.
May I thank you My Lord Mayor for accompanying me and for giving us such a marvellous account of the history of the city and of the spirit of its people? We thank you and wish you well in all your endeavours in the future. I know it will not be long before we meet again.