We Will Remember Them

To quote Wikipedia:

“The Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing is a war memorial in Ypres, Belgium dedicated to the British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed in the Ypres Salient of World War I and whose graves are unknown.”

It seems they ran out of room to inscribe all the names on the gate so some of the remaining names (about 34000) are on the walls at the Tyne Cot Memorial.

The ceremony itself has been performed every day since 1928 (except during the occupation in the Second World War).

We stayed in Ieper for two nights and attended the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate both nights.

Friday 3rd May 2013

After enjoying a relaxing and satisfying meal on the first night we made our way to the Menin Gate.

It was about 19:30 when we arrived and people had already started to gather for the ceremony. It seems if you want a front row view you need to get there early.


The crowds continued to gather on all four sides of the memorial. Ceremony officials were also milling around making sure everything was going to plan.


A little before 20:00 the buglers began to appear.




They then prepared to get into position.




Silence descends over the memorial and the ceremony begins.



When they had finished, the extract from Laurence Binyon’s poem “For the Fallen”, often used in acts of remembrance,  was recited by someone (a visitor or guest of some kind):

“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

We will remember them.”

After which a silence was observed.

Now the people who had come to lay wreaths marched across the gate one group at a time until finally the ceremony was over and the crowds dispersed.

Finally the buglers play out.

It was difficult not to be moved by the whole ceremony and as we returned back through the city to our hotel the thought of the thousands of lives lost remained at the forefront of my mind.

Saturday 4th May 2013

The day had been spent around the local area seeing places including Tyne Cot and Passchendaele. We got back to the city in good time and walked to the Ramparts Museum and then a gentle walk back to the Menin Gate for the Last Post Ceremony.

We arrived earlier this night intent on getting a clearer view and did so without trouble although the area quickly filled up around us.

This night was a little different. There were more people taking part including The Liverpool Clan Wallace Pipe Band and the Rochdale Festival Choir.

Approaching 20:00 things started with the Pipe band approaching finally taking up position at one end of the gate.




The buglers entered as normal taking up position at the opposite end of the gate and joined by a solo piper.




The laying of the wreaths was accompanied by the Rochdale Festival Choir.

After the ceremony itself was complete the pipe band again fired up, marching up and down the length of the gate.

Liverpool Clan Wallace Pipe Band.

Finally they marched back towards the main square in the city where they performed some more.






As for us? We went back to the hotel to marshal our resources for the following day. We would be leaving Flanders and heading into France to explore the Somme.

To be continued...