The Menin Gate and the Last Post

The Menin Gate in an imposing memorial to the soldiers who died during World War I in the Belgium town of Ypres (Iepers)

. All through the conflict, the Ypres Salient was the location of awful fighting and was nicknamed "Wipers" by the British infantry who fought there. Well over 250,000 soldiers from Great Britain and the Commonwealth perished in the fighting in the vicinity of this old town. Of those who died, around 100,000 have no identified grave and around one half of those are commemorated on the Menin Gate. This memorial to the missing has the names of 54,000 soldiers from all around the planet.

Across the Western Front battlefields of Belgium and France, there are several memorials but the Menin Gate is noteworthy for more than just its over all size. The gate stands at the Eastern exit of the town and the road leads straight to the old front line. The memorial was constructed by the British government and was presented in 1927. Its site seems suitable and plenty of the missing whose names are carved on the Menin Gate, will have marched along this very road to the front line, never to come back.

The locals of Ypres were all to aware of the debt of thanks they owed the fallen that they came up with an plan to honour them. Since 1928, every evening at 8pm, vehicles are stopped from passing by the Menin Gate and a brief ceremony takes place. Buglers from the Last Post Association and local fire brigade congregate to play the "Last Post". The ceremony should not be regarded as amusement, it is a sombre affair and although the public are free to be present at the ceremony, they should keep in mind the reasons that it occurs.

The ceremony has taken place every single night since 2nd July 1928, only disrupted during World War II when the town was occupied by Germany. For the duration of the occupation of Ypres, the ceremony took place at Brookwood Military Cemetery in Surrey, Britain. The same day that Ypres was liberated from the Germans in World War II, was once again conducted at the Menin Gate.

The Menin Gate and the Last Post

By: Rob

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