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| Last Post Association | |
|---|---|
| Name | Last Post Association |
| Formation | 1928 |
| Type | Non-profit |
| Headquarters | Menin Gate, Ypres |
| Region served | International |
| Leader title | Chair |
Last Post Association The Last Post Association is a private charity established to maintain the nightly Last Post bugle call at the Menin Gate memorial in Ypres, honoring those from the First World War and subsequent conflicts. Founded by veterans and civic figures, the Association organizes commemorative ceremonies that attract dignitaries, veterans, tourists, and delegations from nations such as Belgium, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. Its work intersects with memorial institutions, veterans' organizations, municipal authorities, and cultural bodies across Europe and the Commonwealth of Nations.
The Association was formed in the aftermath of the Battle of Passchendaele and other Western Front engagements to preserve the nightly bugle ritual at the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing. Early supporters included veterans of the British Expeditionary Force, members of the Royal British Legion, and civic leaders from Ypres and Belgium. During World War II, the ceremony was suspended when Ypres was occupied, then reinstated after liberation, involving coordination with the Allied occupation of Germany authorities and local councils. Postwar decades saw involvement from delegations representing the United States, New Zealand, South Africa, and institutions like the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to ensure continuity through anniversaries such as Armistice Day and centenary commemorations of battles like the Somme.
The Association preserves the tradition of sounding the Last Post to commemorate those named on the Menin Gate and elsewhere, collaborating with organizations including the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the Imperial War Museums, and municipal governments such as Ypres City Council. Activities include scheduling daily buglers, coordinating wreath-laying with embassies from France, Germany, Italy, and organizing special commemorations tied to events like the Battle of Ypres, the Gallipoli Campaign remembrance by Australia and New Zealand, and remembrance visits from delegations linked to the Victoria Cross and other decorations. The Association liaises with military units such as the Royal Regiment of Scotland and reserves ceremonial protocols used by units formerly part of the British Army and the Royal Navy.
Members historically have included veterans of the Royal Flying Corps, descendants of soldiers from regiments like the Sherwood Foresters and the Lancashire Fusiliers, and civic volunteers from Flanders communities. Governance typically involves a board comprising representatives from organizations such as the Royal British Legion, diplomatic missions from Canada and Australia, and local authorities including the Flemish Government. Operational staff coordinate with buglers trained in traditions originating from military institutions like the Coldstream Guards, while administrative records reference registries maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and archives held by the Imperial War Museum and the National Archives (United Kingdom).
The nightly ceremony at the Menin Gate includes a bugler performing the Last Post followed by silence and wreath-laying by delegations from embassies such as those of Belgium, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and France. Annual events coincide with observances like Armistice Day, the centenary of the Battle of the Somme, and anniversaries of the Ypres Salient battles. Special commemorations have involved participation from military bands associated with the Royal Air Force, veteran groups like the Returned and Services League of Australia, and international delegations from countries impacted by the First World War including India and South Africa. The Association also coordinates with cultural institutions such as the Menin Gate Memorial, museums like the In Flanders Fields Museum, and educational initiatives run by universities including Oxford University and Leuven University.
The Association is intrinsically linked to the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing in Ypres, and to other memorial sites across Flanders and the Western Front such as the Tyne Cot Cemetery, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries, and the Ypres Cloth Hall. Prominent linked figures and institutions that have attended or supported ceremonies include heads of state from Belgium, United Kingdom, and France, veterans' leaders from the Royal British Legion and the Returned Sailors and Soldiers Imperial League of Australia, and cultural figures associated with commemorative literature like Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon. The Association frequently collaborates with diplomatic missions including the British Embassy Brussels and the Australian Embassy Brussels.
The Association's nightly observance has influenced commemorative practice in the Commonwealth of Nations and inspired analogous Last Post performances at memorials connected to events like the Gallipoli Campaign and the Battle of the Somme. It has contributed to remembrance culture alongside institutions such as the Imperial War Museums and ceremonies observed on Remembrance Sunday and ANZAC Day. The ritual has been referenced in works about World War I memory by scholars affiliated with universities like Cambridge University and King's College London, and it features in documentaries produced by broadcasters such as the BBC and public history projects coordinated with the European Union cultural heritage programs.