Voices of Remembrance: FMVC to Perform at the Last Post Ceremony in Ypres

A heartfelt thank you to Featherstone Town Council, who have made it possible.

At the end of June, Featherstone Male Voice Choir will travel to Belgium to take part in one of the world’s most moving acts of remembrance: the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate in Ypres.

We are deeply honoured to represent Featherstone at this solemn occasion, and would like to express our sincere thanks to Featherstone Town Council, whose generous grant has helped make the trip possible. Their support enables us to bring the voice of our town to an international stage of memory and reflection.

The Last Post: A Tradition of Silence and Song

Every evening at 8pm since 1928 – with only a brief pause during German occupation – the sound of the Last Post has echoed beneath the Menin Gate Memorial in Ypres, Belgium. Played by buglers of the local fire brigade, this daily tribute honours the hundreds of thousands of soldiers who passed through the town on their way to the Western Front.

It is one of the simplest yet most powerful acts of remembrance anywhere in the world – a gathering of visitors, soldiers’ families, and choirs from across the globe, united in silence and song.

For us, as a choir, music has always played a central role in remembering the past. Song brings history to life. It gives shape to sorrow. It carries memory forward.

We are especially proud to be laying a wreath in honour of the men of Featherstone who gave their lives in the Great War and in subsequent conflicts. To stand and sing at the Menin Gate on behalf of our community is not something we take lightly.

Two for Joy: FMVC & Knottingley Silver Band

While in Ypres, we are also pleased to announce that we will perform a special concert at St. George’s Church at 2pm on Saturday 28th June, alongside our friends in the Knottingley Silver Band.

This concert, titled Two for Joy, will be a celebration of music, memory, and friendship – featuring uplifting and reflective pieces drawn from both our repertoires. It will be free to attend, and we welcome all who are in Ypres that weekend to join us.