The Menin Gate

[Riklaa]

The Menin Gate Sunday 9 November 2008, 11:45-12:00 160/44; 16 MB; sound quality excellent The Menin Gate, in the small Belgian city of Ypres, stands as an extraordinary symbol of remembrance. The Last Post has sounded there every night since 1929 (barring during the Second World War) and it is the most visited site on the Western Front. The Gate was commissioned by the British Government and completed in 1927 as a monument to the tens of thousands of Allied soldiers who have no known remains. Designed by Sir Richard Blomfield, it is both a classical victory arch and a mausoleum, covered inside and out with large panels into which are carved the names of 54,896 officers and men from the Commonwealth armies - all those who died in the "Ypres Salient" area between the outbreak of war and 15 August 1917. In 1928, Ypres residents formed the Last Post Association and began a new ceremony that has proved remarkably enduring. At 8pm every evening, buglers from the local fire brigade play the Last Post. They have never missed a night, except during the Second World War, when the area was under German occupation. For some years during the Nineties, people in Ypres saw visitor numbers decline but, in recent years, numbers have risen dramatically as a new, younger generation is learning about it and feeling the curious power of the Last Post at the Menin Gate. The programme features an insightful contribution from Professor Jay Winter, the world's leading expert on remembrance, on the subtle significance of the Menin Gate. Listeners also hear from the children of the famous Christ's Hospital School Band, who open the evening's ceremony on the night the programme is recorded and talk about their experience of and reactions to it. This programme is part of 1918-2008 - Ninety Years Of Remembrance, a special season of programmes on the BBC marking the 90th anniversary of the end of the First World War. Presented by Mark Whitaker Producer: Mike Hally

doc 081109 The Menin Gate.mp3