A smartphone app has been launched for a live streaming of the 30,000th sounding of the Last Post in Ypres in July 2015.
The aim is to unite a global audience in listening to the Menin Gate ceremony, started in 1928 in memory of the British & Commonwealth defenders of Ypres and now a tribute to all those who fell in the First World War.
Users of the app can listen to the Last Post nightly, culminating in the anniversary event on July 9th.
The producers explain: “At the very moment when the bugle calls for the 30,000th time, smartphones will be activated worldwide and people will be able to follow the event live, together.
“Until that date and afterwards, you can use the app to find out more about the history of the ceremony.”
The Menin Gate (Photo: Centenary News)
The buglers of the Last Post Association, traditionally drawn from Ypres’ volunteer fire brigade, blow the traditional salute to the fallen at 8pm (CET) every night.
To mark the 30,000th Last Post, people are invited to gather at participating fire stations worldwide to follow live broadcasts of the July 9th ceremony at the Menin Gate.
In Ypres, it will be broadcast on a big screen in the Market Square.
The event, entitled a ‘Tribute for the Tribute’, is a joint venture between GoneWest, the West Flanders cultural remembrance programme, and the Last Post Association. More details can be found here.
The Last Post app was commissioned by the Last Post Project, a UK Centenary initiative aimed at uniting communities in remembrance of the impact of the First World War. The project is led by the non-profit arts organisation Superact.
Information & app images supplied by the Last Post Project/Havas Worldwide Brussels
Menin Gate photo: Centenary News
Posted by: Peter Alhadeff, Centenary News