Menin Gate memorial is unveiled - On this day in history

On this day in history, 1927: The Menin Gate memorial was unveiled at Ypres. It commemorates the British and Commonwealth soldiers who died at the Ypres Salient during the First World War. The names of those on the memorial are those of some of the soldiers who died in the area and who have no known grave: 54,896 men are listed.

Every evening since 1928 the Last Post has been sounded at 8 o’clock – the busy traffic that runs under the arch is brought to a halt, and people pay their respects to the soldiers who died. During the Second World War, the ceremony ceased under German occupation, but was revived when they left in 1945. The Last Post is played by the buglers, and is followed by a minute’s silence, and then ‘Reveille’ is sounded on the bugles to signify the end of the ceremony.

Watch this video below of the 30,000^th ceremony of the Last Post at Menin Gate:

Pictured: Menin Gate by Johan Bakker (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons.

To find out more about your Army ancestors see our How to guide, here.