Last Post: A poignant reminder of World War I

Buglers sound the opening for Last Post held each night in Ypres, Belgium  (Courtesy: Last Post Association)

YPRES, BELGIUM — Each night in the small Belgian town of Ypres, traffic on the east side of the city stops at 7:30 on the road through the Menin Gate Memorial. It is a traditional salute to the fallen World War I warriors that has been on-going since 1929

The ceremony is known as the Last Post, and it has become part of daily life in Iepre (Ypres) where the local people share in a simple poignant tribute to the courage and sacrifice of those who defended their city.

Menin Gate in Ypres
(Courtesy: Last Post Association)

The Menin Gate Memorial, which in some ways looks like a smaller version of the Arch de Triumph in Paris, opened in 1927 at the site of the original old city gate leading to the Ypres Salient battlegrounds and the Menin Road. It was here that many British and Commonwealth troops marched on their to the Allied front.

While most Americans will be sleeping on Sunday morning, the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended fighting on land, sea and air in World War I will be officially observed at 11 a.m. Paris time.

Large crowds have gathered nightly for 100 years to honor the missing at Menin Gate  (Courtesy: VisitFlanders.com)

On "the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month" a century ago, the Allies marked their victory over Germany, though it was not a formal surrender.

Appropriately the Last Post at the Menin Gate Memorial has been observed every evening, regardless of weather, since November 11, 1929.

The only exception came between May 20, 1940 and September 6, 1944 when the Germans once again occupied Ypres during World War II. Even then the ritual continued in England at Brookwood Military Cemetery in Surrey.

Poppies are a symbol of WWI
(Photo: Taylor)

Interestingly enough, on the very day the Poles liberated Ypres during the Second World War, the Menin Gate ceremony resumed despite heavy fighting in other parts of town. If visitors look closely they can still see bullet marks from that period in history.

The Last Post is a serendipitous event where crowds are sometimes small, but usually quite large, especially in summer. Visitors wishing to watch the ritual should arrive early in order to get a good vantage point.

Disabled travelers can and should notify security forces in the area who will provide an unobstructed place to observe the sounding of the bugles at 8:00 p.m.

Ypres was completely destroyed during the war
(Courtesy: Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand)

Regardless of whether there is a massive crowd or not a single person in attendance, the busy through road is closed to traffic for one hour each evening. Today, however, it is rare for the memorial to be empty at any time of year.

At precisely 7:55 p.m.,  3 to 5 buglers from the local volunteer Fire Brigade arrive and stand ready at the eastern entrance of the memorial.

A hush falls over the crowd and stillness shrouds the surroundings.

The ceremony is always moving, reverent and respectful
(Courtesy: (Last Post Association)

Precisely at 8 o'clock four buglers march forward. Solemn. Dignified. Reverent. The moment for the Sounding of the Last Post has arrived.

·      The ceremony has two formats. When no participants or wreath layers are present the program follows this order:

·      Call to Attention by the buglers of the Last Post Association.

·      Sounding of the “Last Post” bugle call.

·      Minute of silence.

·      Sounding of the “Réveille” bugle call.

·      End of Ceremony

Usually the ceremony is extended to include anything ranging from music by a visiting band, choir, orchestra or a parade with standards and military personnel.

It is acceptable for anyone wishing to lay a wreath to participate. Last Post officials will inform individuals and groups who want to lay a wreath what to do and when to do it.

For planning purposes and further information, an app is available to explain all you need to know about taking part in a ceremony. You can go to the Last Post Association website to download a link for the app.

Each ceremony follows a specific pattern, yet somehow they all vary slightly  (Courtesy: Last Post Association)

The extended ceremony agenda is slightly different consisting of:

·      Call to Attention by the buglers of the Last Post Association

·      Sounding of the “Last Post” bugle call.

·      Exhortation

·      Minute of Silence

·      Lament (if a piper is present)

·      Wreath laying

·      Sounding of the “Réveille” bugle call.

·      End of Ceremony

The Exhortation may be the most powerful part of program, for it is at this time that a member or guest of the Last Post Association, a visiting dignitary or a visitor is invited to recite the fourth verse of Laurence Binyan's poem For the Fallen.

The region is dotted with graves
(Courtesy: Commonwealth War
Graves Commission)

Standing in the center of the road beneath the arch of the Hall of Memory, which is inscribed with the names of 54,395 Commonwealth soldiers who died in the Salient but whose bodies have never been identified or found, the reader recites the following haunting words:

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.

Wreaths of various sizes can be ordered from the Royal British Legion at Aylesford in Kent. The Royal British Legion website has all the information about wreaths, chaplets, sprays and crosses that are available. There are also ribbons and regimental crosses.

Ypres was a strategic location during World War I because it stood in the path of Germany's intended sweep across the rest of Belgium.

"Atteenn-huutt!"
(Courtesy: Last Post Association)

It was equally important for the Allies too, since Ypres eventually became the last major Belgian town that was not under German control.

Thus the site for the Menin Gate was chosen because it was the closest gate of the town to the fighting, and Allied soldiers marched past it on their way to fight.

And so, on "the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month" take time to remember the valiant warriors who made the ultimate sacrifice one hundred years ago, so that we may enjoy the liberties and freedoms we have today.

Ypres' Menin Gate is the ideal place to honor the heroes of
World War I  (Courtesy: VisitFlanders.com)

"The Last Post" lives forever in the minds and hearts of the families and friends whose loved ones endured the horrors of World War I's killing fields. We, too, salute them and should never forget their contributions.