Jul 24
What is the 'first collective memorial' erected along the former Great War front in France and Belgium
The Menin Gate Memorial in Ieper, Belgium, stands as the first collective memorial erected along the former Great War front in France and Belgium, designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield for the Imperial War Graves Commission. Unveiled on 24 July 1927 by Field Marshal Lord Plumer, this imposing triumphal arch honors the roughly 90,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers who have no known grave, with the names of 54,897 casualties—including 7,000 Canadians—engraved across its panels. Its enduring legacy is kept alive each evening at 8 p.m. through the moving Last Post Ceremony, performed by local buglers since 1928, making it one of the most visited and continuously commemorated memorials on the Western Front. In 2015, the memorial marked a remarkable milestone with the 30,000th sounding of the Last Post, a testament to the lasting power of remembrance.
