The Alcoutim Chamber once again paid tribute to former combatants and children of the land who died in different conflicts in a ceremony that took place this Monday, April 9th, in Praça da República, next to the Monument to Combatentes.
The initiative served to mark Combatant's Day, but also the 100th anniversary of the Battle of La-Lys, in World War I, in which hundreds of Portuguese soldiers lost their lives.
"This date was chosen by this Municipality to pay homage, along with this monument, to all the alcoutenejos who fought on the battlefields of the various war conflicts in which they participated, in defense of their homeland and in favor of freedom", according to the Chamber of Alcoutim.
In World War I, «five alcoutenejos died, two of whom fell in the battle of La Lys», namely Manuel Custódio (born in the parish of Alcoutim) and Manuel Henriques (born in the parish of Martim Longo).
The monument near which the ceremony took place, inaugurated a year ago, «perpetuates the names of the soldiers who lost their lives in the Colonial War» and intends to «symbolize the sacrifice of the alcoholics who served their country in wartime, raising the memory of all those who fell and gave their lives for Portugal».
This tribute was attended by Lieutenant General Joaquim Chito Rodrigues, president of the Liga dos Combatentes, Lieutenant Colonel Marques Pereira, president of the association's Vila Real de Santo António nucleus and president of the City Council, Osvaldo Gonçalves «followed by the deposition of a wreath of flowers next to the monument in homage to the combatants and the realization of a minute of silence».
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