Menin Gate

The Menin Gate is a First World War memorial arch in Ypres (Ieper), Belgium, commemorating Commonwealth soldiers who went missing in the Ypres Salient and have no known grave. It is a major site of remembrance for the Western Front.

The monument’s interior walls are inscribed with the names of tens of thousands of missing servicemen, forming an extensive roll of honour that visitors can read and photograph. Each evening a traditional Last Post ceremony is performed beneath the arch at 20:00, drawing both locals and visitors.

The gate occupies a prominent position on the eastern approach to Ypres and is often visited alongside nearby Commonwealth cemeteries and battlefield sites. Interpretive panels and local guides commonly place the memorial in the wider context of the Ypres battles.

Designed as a memorial to an area of sustained and heavy fighting in World War I, the Menin Gate was completed and unveiled in 1927 to honour the missing of the British Empire forces. It has been the focus of continuous remembrance activities since the interwar years, with the nightly Last Post ceremony established in 1928.

Located at the eastern side of the town of Ypres in West Flanders, the gate marks the historic road out of the town toward the former battlefields of the Ypres Salient. It is within walking distance of Ypres town centre and other First World War memorials and cemeteries.

• Last Post ceremony: the Last Post ceremony is played each evening at 20:00 at the memorial, a long-standing act of remembrance
• Commemorated names: the memorial bears the names of tens of thousands of Commonwealth servicemen and women missing from the Ypres Salient in World War I