Ypres was an ancient fortified town with defensive walls and a moat surrounding it. There were a number of gateways in the walls, including one for the road to the nearby town of Menin. The ‘Menin Gate’ was one of those which faced the front line to the east, and one through which hundreds of thousands of allied troops passed on their way to their destiny. After the War, the gate became the fitting place to record the names of those who passed into oblivion and whose bodies were never identified.The Menin Gate records the names of 56.000 men from Great Britain and its Empire who were killed in the Ypres Salient between October 1914 and the night of 15th/16th August 1917 and who have no known grave. The people of Ypres still remember the debt they owe these men. At 8 O’Clock every evening, the road which passes under the Memorial is closed and three buglers from the local fire brigade play the last post.