Since 1928 the Last Post, a short ceremony in tribute to British and Commonwealth soldiers who fell on the battlefields of the First World War, has taken place every evening at the Menin Gate in Ieper (West Flanders). On Monday evening the Last Post was sounded for 33,000th time. To mark the occasion, all the members of The Last Post Association were invited, as well as a bagpipe player. Unlike the Menin Gate where the daily ceremony takes place, the Last Post has not yet been recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Since July 2, 1928, bugles have sounded the Last Post at the Menin Gate in Ieper every evening at 8pm. On Monday 25 September it was sounded for the 33,000th time. The President of The Last Post Association Benoit Mottrie told VRT News that "It's a special record, for something that is unique in the world. The Last Post has been sounded here every evening for almost 100 years. It's time to thank our bugle players, our ceremony assistants, the members of our administrative staff and the other volunteers”.
"In order to have made the Last Post sound just once for each of the 54,585 soldiers whose names are on the Menin Gate, we will have to continue each evening until 2090. If we want to do it for each Commonwealth soldier that fell in Belgium during the First World War, it will take us until 2540. So we still have work to do,” Mr Mottrie said.
UNESCO World Heritage
Last week, 139 memorial sites from the Great War including the Menin Gate in Ieper, became UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The case for the Last Post to be given the same status was was presented more than ten years ago.
“It would obviously be a great recognition of the work we do every day if the Last Post ceremony could also be included in UNESCO’s list of the world’s intangible heritage. But the decision won’t lie with us. If this recognition comes, it would be an honour, but if it never comes, we will simply continue our daily mission, for eternity."