Appeal goes out to commemorate upcoming historic WW1 milestone

It was supposed to be the “war to end all wars” and a significant World War One landmark in Belgium is approaching.

The date is 2 July 2028  and it is highly symbolic as it will mark the 100th anniversary of the first time The Last Post was sounded at Menin Gate in Ypres in Flanders.

The event is over two years away but plans are already well underway for an unusual commemoration.

To honour the near 55,000 soldiers whose names are engraved on the famous monument in the centre of the town, the aim is to read out each name – uninterrupted.

Come rain or shine, the names will also be read out continuously – even at night – and it’s estimated this will all take no less than three days. It isn’t just military folk and VIPs involved – everyone will get the chance to read out one of the 54,588 names on the Menin Gate.

Those being remembered are British and Commonwealth soldiers that went missing in action  during the Great War.

Ypres was at the centre of Western Front during World War I (1914–1918), known for the “”Ypres Salient”” bulge in the Allied lines. It hosted major battles, including the first use of poison gas in 1915, and the devastating, mud-soaked 1917 Battle of Passchendaele, with over one million total casualties.

The Last Post is a historic British Army bugle call dating to the 1790s that originally signalled the end of the day’s tasks and the security of camp. It evolved into a poignant funeral tribute, representing a final farewell and the end of a soldier’s earthly labours.

It is featured in Remembrance Sunday, Anzac Day and other military funerals worldwide.

Since 1928, The Last Post has been sounded every evening at 8pm in Ypres by volunteer buglers from the Last Post Association and was only interrupted during the second German occupation of Belgium from 1940 to 1944, when the ceremony was continued at Brookwood Military Cemetery in Surrey, England.

Benoit Mottrie, chair of the Last Post Association, said, “The 100 years anniversary of the Last Post falls on a Sunday so we are making it a special commemorative weekend.

“On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, we are organising numerous activities, events and ceremonies. Everyone will be welcome at this centenary celebration: the Association’s members from around the world, various dignitaries, but above all the people of Ieper themselves.”

The historic milestone will be celebrated internationally by Ypres, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission — which owns the Menin Gate, and the Last Post Association — the independent volunteer organisation behind the daily ceremony.

Mottrie says it’s important to give everyone the opportunity to read out a name, adding, “To this end, we’re appealing to residents of Ypres, schools, people from abroad, and family members of the names on the gate.”

“The reading will be continuous, so the names will also resound throughout the night. Everything will be strictly timed. People from all over the world will be able to follow the entire process via livestreaming. Westtoer and the city of Ypres will also be involved; we’ll make it something special.”

Special activities are planned throughout that weekend in Ypres city centre, a city that was almost completely destroyed by constant shelling during WW1.

On Friday and Saturday, there will be parades and events in the Grote Markt, followed by a traditional Last Post in the evening. The ceremony for Sunday afternoon is planned to commemorate the centennial. Details will follow soon. In collaboration with the In Flanders Fields Museum, there will be an exhibition celebrating the centenary of the Last Post Association. Finally, a book is also in the works.