Macclesfield Youth Brass Band has just returned from a summer tour to Belgium where they were honoured to take part in the famous Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate in Ypres.

Moving tribute

At 8.00pm each evening the traffic around the memorial is stopped and the crowds gather to witness this moving tribute to the British and Commonwealth soldiers killed during the Ypres Salient in WW1 and whose graves are unknown.

A team of buglers from the local fire brigade sound the Last Post as they have done every single day since the memorial was built in 1927.

Music

The band performed Elgar’s ‘Nimrod’ as wreaths were laid by other visiting groups, an arrangement of the hymn tune ‘Silver Hill’ and the Belgium and British national anthems.

The ceremony is a solemn occasion, incredibly moving and something that we will never forgetLouise Renshaw

Moving

Musical Director Louise Renshaw told 4BR: "The ceremony is a solemn occasion, incredibly moving and something that we will never forget."

The band also performed a concert in Bruges as well as finding plenty of time for fun on the beach and a day at a theme park.