30,000th Last Post to commemorate fallen soldiers of World War One

30,000th Last Post to commemorate fallen soldiers of World War One

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Members of Rochdale Cadets, Rochdale Fire Station and war veterans came together on Thursday evening (9 July) to commemorate the 30,000th Last Post.

Several Army Reserve Soldiers from 4 Lancs Machine Gun (Fusiliers) Platoon, from Castle Armoury in Bury were also in attendance.

During the service, a ‘Tribute to a Tribute’ was read by Tom Hague, Watch Manager on Red Watch and David Brown, Chairman of the Greater Manchester Royal British Legion (RBL), read the exultation.

The Last Post was then played by Bugler Freddie Bearn before a minute’s silence was observed.

David Brown, then read the Kohima Prayer before Cpl Samantha Crain, from Greater Manchester Army Cadets, read ‘In Flanders Field.’

The sirens at the fire station then sounded in line with the rest of the world.

The 30,000th Last Post sounded under the Menin Gate in Ypres Belgium to commemorate the fallen soldiers of WW1. Originally the Last Post was the clarion call, which announced the end of the working day in British and other armies.

Since 1928, the Last Post Association has organised a ceremony under the Menin Gate in Ypres, where the Clarion call echoes every evening. The day after the Last Post is the ultimate tribute to the fallen of the First World War.

The Last Post Association aims to preserve the ode forever, in wind and rain, snow or sunshine and the Last Post Buglers do not miss a day to bid their farewell to the fallen at the Menin Gate.

The Menin Gate Memorial to the missing collects the names of 54,897 casualties from the former Commonwealth whose bodies have never been recovered.

Traditionally, the buglers of the Last Post Association are recruited from the local fire station and that is why they wear the fire brigade uniform.

GoneWest, the cultural programme commemorating the First World War, would like to pay tribute to the worldwide solidarity among fire fighters with an ‘Ode to Ode’.