The importance of the Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate
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Images: Alana Britton (left) and The Brothers in Arms memorial (right)
Written by: Alana Britton - Head Subject Expert (History)
The haunting echo of the bugle call reverberates throughout the arches, whilst silence descends.
This is the daily ritual of the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate at 8pm, and I have had the privilege of attending 100 times.
As a History Subject Expert at NST Travel Group, guiding history school trips across the First World War battlefields, I regularly see the impact that these locations have on students. Yet the significance of the Menin Gate ceremony never diminishes, no matter how many times I attend.
The 100th anniversary is coming up in July 2027 of the inauguration of the Gate, where the Last Post was played on 24th July 1927. At this point it was played by the buglers of the 2nd Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry. In 1928, the volunteer fire brigade of Ypres (Ieper) started the tradition of carrying out the ceremony every evening, which has only been interrupted by the German occupation during the Second World War. Following the liberation of Ypres in 1944, the ceremony returned to the Gate and has continued every night since.
What makes this event so significant is the location. Surrounding the medieval city of Ypres is the Salient, where there are constant reminders of four years of war. In addition to battlefield sites such as Polygon Wood, Hill 60 and Passchendaele, there are over 150 Commonwealth War Graves Commission sites in the Salient. Visiting various sites in the local area during the day makes the ceremony all the more prominent.
On 25th April 2025, the 110th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings, I had the privilege of visiting sites linked to the ANZACs. From the grave of Captain Clarence Jefferies, a VC winner buried in Tyne Cot, via Hill 60, to the Buttes New British Cemetery in Polygon Wood, the impact of the war was impossible to escape. The final stop was one of the most moving. The Brothers in Arms memorial, commemorating Jim Hunter holding his brother John as he lay dying, led me to stop and sketch the statue of the two brothers, allowing for some private reflection.
It was with this context that I found myself standing with a wreath to lay, to pay thanks and honour all the ANZACs who fought, at 8pm. The closing of the road by the local police, the congregation of the crowd from all parts of the world, and the announcement to remain silent during the ceremony all built up to the initial bugle call.
The playing of the Last Post by the Ypres Fire Brigade brought all there to attention. The delivery of the Exhortation, read by a lone individual in the middle of the street, with the response of "We will remember them", bled seamlessly into the silence of over a thousand people. That time of silence provided a moment of reflection for what has passed, but also to think about what is happening in the world today and what the future holds.
Stepping forward to lay the wreath was both nerve-wracking and humbling, with the opportunity to pay my respects. The final call of the buglers with Reveille brought the ceremony to a close.
Then the hum of the crowd started up again. It is this shared moment that makes this location so significant.
Guiding NST history school trips reminds me that experiences like this help bring the stories of the First World War beyond the classroom. Standing where events unfolded, visiting the cemeteries and memorials, and taking part in moments of remembrance creates a connection to the past that is difficult to achieve anywhere else. – by Alana Britton
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