Is the last post still being played in Ypres?
Is the last post still being played in Ypres?
Every evening, at 8pm on the dot, a group of buglers sound the last post under Menin Gate at Ypres in Belgium.
Is there a list of names on Menin Gate?
The memorial bears the names of 54,389 officers and men from United Kingdom and Commonwealth Forces (except New Zealand and Newfoundland) who fell in the Ypres Salient before 16 August 1917 and who have no known grave. View of the belfry in the market square through the western entrance of the Menin Gate Memorial.
What is carved on the Menin Gate?
The memorial consists of an imposing archway surmounted by a recumbent lion and it is inscribed with the names of 54,900 dead from Britain and Commonwealth countries.
Why is the Last Post played at the Menin Gate?
The Last Post, the traditional final salute to the fallen, is played by the buglers of the Last Post Association in honour of the memory of the soldiers of the former British Empire and its allies, who died in the Ypres Salient during the First World War (1914-1918).
How many times has the last post been played at the Menin Gate?
Four silver bugles were donated to the Last Post Committee by the Brussels and Antwerp Branches of the Royal British Legion. From 1 May 1929 the Last Post has been sounded at the Menin Gate Memorial every night and in all weathers.
Why is the Menin Gate called the Menin Gate?
The memorial is located at the eastern exit of the town and marks the starting point for one of the main roads out of the town that led Allied soldiers to the front line. “Menin” is the traditional name of the gate in this location of Ypres’ city walls because it leads to the town of Menen.
Why is the Menin Gate significant?
The site of the Menin Gate was chosen because of the hundreds of thousands of men who passed through it on their way to the battlefields. It commemorates casualties from the forces of Australia, Canada, India, South Africa and United Kingdom who died in the Salient.
When should I play the last post?
The Last Post is performed every evening at 8pm in the town of Ypres, Belgium, by the buglers of the local Last Post Association. The group of buglers play The Last Post at the Menin Gate, in a tradition which started almost 100 years ago in 1928, to remember the soldiers who fell in the First World War.
How long does the Last Post ceremony at Menin Gate last?
It differs from evening to evening, but most evenings the Menin Gate is already pretty full by a quarter past seven (the ceremony begins at eight o’ clock). It depends on the number of participants on the evening in question. The ceremony is seldom shorter than 10 minutes and seldom longer than 25 minutes.