The Menin Gate in an impressive 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 arena of awful fighting and was nicknamed "Wipers" by the British infantry who fought there.
Upwards of a quarter of a million soldiers from UK and the Commonwealth died in the fighting in the vicinity of this historic town. Of those who died, around 100,000 have no known grave and approximately one half of those are commemorated on the Menin Gate. This memorial to the missing contains the names of 54,000 men from all over the earth.
Throughout the Western Front battlefields of Belgium and France, there are countless memorials but the Menin Gate is compelling 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 built by the British government and was presented in 1927. Its location seems most appropriate and lots of the missing whose names are carved on the Menin Gate, will have marched along this same 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. Ever since 1928, every night at 8pm, cars are stopped from passing by the Menin Gate and a brief ceremony takes place. Buglers from the Last Post Association and district fire brigade assemble to play the "Last Post". The ceremony should not be perceived as recreational, it is a solemn affair and although the public are free to attend the ceremony, they should not forget the reasons that it takes place.
The ceremony has taken place each evening from 2nd July 1928, only disrupted for the duration of World War II after the town was occupied by Germany. During the occupation of Ypres, the ceremony took place at Brookwood Military Cemetery in Surrey, Great Britain. The precise day that Ypres was liberated from the Germans in World War II, was again carried out at the Menin Gate.
Upwards of a quarter of a million soldiers from UK and the Commonwealth died in the fighting in the vicinity of this historic town. Of those who died, around 100,000 have no known grave and approximately one half of those are commemorated on the Menin Gate. This memorial to the missing contains the names of 54,000 men from all over the earth.
Throughout the Western Front battlefields of Belgium and France, there are countless memorials but the Menin Gate is compelling 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 built by the British government and was presented in 1927. Its location seems most appropriate and lots of the missing whose names are carved on the Menin Gate, will have marched along this same 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. Ever since 1928, every night at 8pm, cars are stopped from passing by the Menin Gate and a brief ceremony takes place. Buglers from the Last Post Association and district fire brigade assemble to play the "Last Post". The ceremony should not be perceived as recreational, it is a solemn affair and although the public are free to attend the ceremony, they should not forget the reasons that it takes place.
The ceremony has taken place each evening from 2nd July 1928, only disrupted for the duration of World War II after the town was occupied by Germany. During the occupation of Ypres, the ceremony took place at Brookwood Military Cemetery in Surrey, Great Britain. The precise day that Ypres was liberated from the Germans in World War II, was again carried out at the Menin Gate.
About the Author:
Together with the imposing Cloth Hall, the Menin Gate in Ypres are the two most well known buildings in the town which was practically destroyed during the First World War.. This article, The Menin Gate and the Last Post is released under a creative commons attribution license.
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