Name on Menin Gate

[Guest Shelley Williams]

Hi,

I have a soldier who is Remembered with honour Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Addenda Panel 58.

Can someone tell me what that actually means please. I think I gather that his name is on the Menin Gate, but I'd like to know why?

Does he not have a known grave, that's why his name is on there. Are all soldiers' names on the Menin Gate?

Thank you,

Shelley

[Tom Morgan]

Hello Shelley,

The Menin Gate memorial to the Missing contains the names of British and some Empire soldiers missing in the Ypres area. Strictly speaking, the soldiers named on the Menin Gate will have died near Ypres between the outbreak of the war and midnight on 15th September, 1917, but there are some exceptions. For example, all the Australian and Canadian missing from the whole of Belgium are named on the Menin Gate because their National Governments wanted them all commemorated in one place.

You're right about known graves. The soldiers named on the Menin Gate have no known graves. That doesn't mean that they don't have graves - they may be buried in "unknown" graves in cemeteries in the area - but they don't have graves with their names on, so this is their memorial.

If your relative is named on the "Addenda" panel then he would be a soldier whose name was accidentally missed out and was added later. This doesn't necessarily mean that his name has been added recently. When the building of the Menin Gate was completed in 1927 it was found that there were some errors and ommissions. Most memorials to the Missing have "addenda" panels so that names can be added.

You can read more about the Menin Gate if you follow this link.

Tom

[tombowcock]

Hi,

I have a soldier who is Remembered with honour Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Addenda Panel 58.

Can someone tell me what that actually means please. I think I gather that his name is on the Menin Gate, but I'd like to know why?

Does he not have a known grave, that's why his name is on there. Are all soldiers' names on the Menin Gate?

Thank you,

Shelley

Hi Shelley,

The Menin gate is one of the main memorials to the missing. As in the title it is fro those who have no known grave. Sadly there were many that fell into that category during the 4 main battles of Ypres. It commemorates all of those from the commonwealth except New Zealand and covers the missing up to 16 August 1917. After that point all missing are commemorated on teh Tyne Cot memorial near passchendaele.

Hope this helps, but a search on the Menin Gate will bring up much more information than I could provide.

Cheers

James

[tombowcock]

Soory - Tom. Got there before me :-)

Cheers

James

[ianw]

It's not unknown for a casualty's name to be on a memorial such as the Menin Gate whilst also having a named grave e.g SSM F W Barnett 19th Hussars. This man was a friend of my Grandfather and I made a point of visiting his grave at Sanctuary Wood during my first ever trip to Ypres. I was subsequently surprised to see his name listed on the Menin Gate. The CWGC list him in Sanctuary Wood and I can only presume he was initially "lost" and was duly "found". Perhaps his name will be removed when the relevant panel is replaced - but as this panel is well protected from the weather inside the gate, this might take some time.

Incidentally, on one Ypres visit I marched up to the Gate and found that his name (and those of a few other hussars) were "spotlit" by the sun shining through the circular openings on the roof of the Gate. I thought this a little ostentatious! - but a great effect laid on for me. Very moving.