34,000th daily Last Post

Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,

We welcome you tonight to a moment of profound historical significance. This evening, the bugles of the Last Post  Association will sound under the arches of the Menin Gate for the 34,000th time.

Thirty-four thousand times, the chords of the Last Post have pierced the silence of Ypres. Thirty-four thousand times, generations have gathered on this very spot to honor a sacred pledge: that we will continue to remember and honor the fallen Commonwealth soldiers until the end of time.

More than 100 years ago, those brave men crossed oceans and continents – from the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, and beyond. They left their homes to defend a small corner of Belgium, and in doing so, they bound the history of their nations to the soil of Flanders Fields forever.

Ninety-eight years ago, in 1928, the citizens of Ypres established the Last Post Association as an act of eternal gratitude. This tribute has never ceased, and it will never cease.

Through changing decades, through shifting geopolitics, and through the passing of the last living veterans, this flame of remembrance has burned continuously.

This 34,000th ceremony is a testament to the power of collective memory. It proves that the passage of time does not diminish the weight of their sacrifice, nor does it weaken our resolve to uphold the peace they bought so dearly.

To our international guests standing with us tonight: your presence proves that the legacy of the Last Post belongs to the entire world.

As the buglers step forward tonight, let us reaffirm our shared commitment to remembrance, to history, to the fallen, and to peace.

We will remember them.