During a recent visit to World War 1 battlefields in Belgium and Northern France, Bangor Rotarians Bill Aiken, Bob Jellie and Brian Hall visited the Belgium town of Ypres, and were privileged to take part in the “Last Post Ceremony” at the Menin Gate. A wreath was laid, on behalf of the Club, by President Bill Aiken.
The Menin Gate memorial is dedicated to British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed in the Ypres Salient during WW1 and whose graves are unknown. There are 54,896 names engraved in the stonework. Every evening, at 20:00hrs the road which passes under the memorial is closed off and buglers sound “The Last Post”. Apart from a brief period during WW2, this practice has continued, on a daily basis, since 1928.
