Father Bob Bates
Have you heard about the British Cemetery in Elvas, way up in the Alentejo, near the Spanish border and close to the fortress town of Badajoz? Indeed, what knowledge do you have of the Peninsular War?
I have been privileged over the last couple of years to celebrate Remembrance Day with the people there, and last year to offer Holy Communion in the small refurbished chapel of St John that sits adjacent.
This year, Remembrance Day falls on a Sunday and we will, with the Royal British Legion, celebrate this special day at St Luke’s Church here in the Algarve at Monte Palhagueira, Gorjões, north of Santa Bárbara de Nexe, when the British Consul and the Ambassador will be with us. So, sadly, I will not be in Elvas this November. I was however there in September when we were able to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the renovation and re-dedication of the Cemetery.
To understand about the British Cemetery and its importance, we need to go back 200 years in time and the routing of Napoleon’s troops from Portugal. Having achieved this, the allies, under Wellington’s direction, needed to secure the frontier with Spain, and the securing of the northern town of Ciudad Rodrigo was followed by securing Badajoz after the bloody battle of Albueira, and the siege of Badajoz itself, in 1812 – 200 years ago this year – two bloodthirsty conflicts which are represented and commemorated by just five gravestones and a goodly number of commemorative stones in the cemetery relating to the forces involved, and the naming of at least some those who gave their lives in these conflicts. The Cemetery is situated high in the famous ramparts of the city and the whole area has recently been declared (quite rightly) a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The drive up to the site, through the tunnels in the walls, along the calçada roads and the cobbled steps, take us puffing and panting to the little Chapel of St John and, after a few more steps, into the manicured cemetery, now lovingly maintained. Both Chapel and Cemetery have a special atmosphere – an ethos that inspires us spiritually, and so we take in the sense of ‘presence’.
On Remembrance Day some 100-plus folk will gather, Portuguese, British and Spanish making up the majority, and wreaths will be laid and prayers said. Uniforms of differing colours will be present as will priests of differing nationalities, and bugle calls and a time of silence taken and all will say “We will remember them” – We too will remember them in St Luke’s and at our evening Remembrance Day service at 6pm in Nossa Senhora do Livramento, Tavira.
Recently we were just 20 or so people, joined in worship and togetherness in the chapel, sharing our affection for the place and what it stands for, and we gave thanks for the people who had just 15 years ago worked to clear and present the cemetery as a truly powerful place of remembering, and we promised to do our part in retaining memories and reminding others, and of course to pray for peace.
When I came to serve in Portugal, I had no idea that I would be doing so in such an historic venue. There is nothing obvious of God (although he is there in despair) in battles and the tragedy of sieges and the storming of a city where many atrocities are carried out – but there is much that is spiritually sound and moving in these memorials which take you back in time to remember – I commend them to you.
As Remembrance-tide approaches let us not forget those who died for king and country in all the past centuries
– We will Remember them!
www.british-cemetery-elvas.org
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Father Bob Bates joined St Vincent’s Chaplaincy in the Algarve in May 2009, having previously served in the Peterborough Diocese in the UK. Father Bob and his wife Diane live in the Chaplaincy House in Boliqueime.
