Act of Homage at the Menin Gate

The MVS National Communications Manager, John Spencer-Barnes was invited to the daily act of homage at Ieper (Ypres) in Belgium on a recent visit to Flanders.

Every evening since 1928 the Last Post has been played under the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing in Ieper at 8 o’clock.

The Last Post, the traditional final salute to the fallen, is played by buglers from the local fire brigade in honour of the memory of the soldiers of the former British Empire and its allies, who died in the Ypres Salient during the First World War.

John said “I was honoured to attend the ceremony which attracts hundreds of people to the town each evening.”

The Last Post Ceremony has become part of the daily life in the town and the local people are proud of this moving tribute to the courage and self-sacrifice of those who fell in defence of their town.