Original Daily Sketch Newspaper – Monday 25th July 1927 – Menin Gate Memorial Inauguration – Ypres

Original Daily Sketch Newspaper – Monday 25th July 1927 – Menin Gate Memorial Inauguration – Ypres

A fascinating original issue of the Daily Sketch newspaper dated Monday 25th July 1927, published just one day after the historic unveiling of the Menin Gate Memorial at Ypres, Belgium.

The inauguration took place on Sunday 24th July 1927, when the magnificent memorial was officially unveiled by Field Marshal Lord Plumer in the presence of King Albert of Belgium, dignitaries, veterans and thousands of bereaved relatives.

The Menin Gate was constructed to commemorate the British and Commonwealth servicemen who lost their lives in the Ypres Salient during the First World War and have no known grave. Its walls bear thousands of names of men who disappeared during the terrible fighting around Ypres between 1914 and 1918.

The ceremony was an immensely moving occasion, bringing together families from Britain and across the Commonwealth to remember those who never returned from the battlefields of Flanders.

Lord Plumer famously addressed the bereaved, reassuring them that their missing loved ones were not forgotten.

This original newspaper dates from the very day after this landmark act of remembrance, making it a particularly interesting piece of contemporary British press history.

Historical Significance

The Menin Gate remains one of the most important First World War memorials in Europe. The Last Post ceremony continues to take place beneath its arches every evening, maintaining the memory of those commemorated there.

Item Details

Publication: Daily Sketch

Date: Monday 25th July 1927

Historical connection: Inauguration of the Menin Gate Memorial

Location: Ypres, Belgium (now Ieper)

Period: Interwar Britain

Type: Original British newspaper

Condition: Please see photographs for condition.

An evocative original newspaper from almost 100 years ago, ideal for collectors of First World War memorabilia, British newspapers, Ypres history and historical ephemera.

A wonderful contemporary survivor from one of the most significant remembrance ceremonies following the Great War.