Portal:Belgium/Selected article/2007/November

The Menin Gate Memorial at the eastern exit of the town of Ypres in Flanders, Belgium, marks the starting point for one of the main roads out of the town that led Allied soldiers to the front line during World War I. Designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield and built by the British government, the Menin Gate Memorial opened on 24 July 1927 as a monument dedicated to the missing British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed in the fierce battles around the Ypres Salient area who have no known grave.

Its large Hall of Memory contains the names of 54,896 Commonwealth soldiers who died without graves, incised into vast panels. Following the Memorial's opening in 1927, the citizens of Ypres wanted to express their gratitude towards those who had given their lives for Belgium's freedom. As such, every evening at 8.00, buglers from the local fire brigade close the road which passes under the Memorial and play the Last Post.