Thread: The Lions of Menin Gate, Belgium

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MEDIA RELEASE
THE HON DAN TEHAN MP
MINISTER FOR VETERANS’ AFFAIRS
MINISTER FOR DEFENCE PERSONNEL
MINISTER ASSISTING THE PRIME MINISTER FOR CYBER SECURITY
MINISTER ASSISTING THE PRIME MINISTER FOR THE CENTENARY OF ANZAC
26 September 2017
Australia’s Menin Gate Lions gift strengthens friendship with Ieper
Minister for Veterans' Affairs Dan Tehan today announced that Australia would produce replicas of the famous Menin Gate Lions and gift them to the Belgian city of Ieper in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the service and sacrifice of Australians in Flanders during the First World War.
After the war, the Menin Gate became the site for a memorial to those killed in Belgium and who have no known grave. The memorial bears the names of 55,000 British and Dominion soldiers.
The Menin Gate Lions were given to the Australian Government by the City of Ieper in 1936 as an expression of gratitude for the ultimate sacrifice made by more than 13,000 Australian soldiers in Belgium.
The lions had stood on each side of the Menin Road since the mid-nineteenth century, and in 1917 many Australian soldiers passed through the Menin Gate on their way to the Western Front, outside of the town they knew as ‘Wipers’.
They have been on display at the entrance to the Australian War Memorial since 1991 and are currently on loan to Belgium until Armistice Day on 11 November this year.
Mr Tehan said the gift was a sign of the enduring relationship between Australia and Belgium.
“The names of more than 6,000 Australians with no known grave are listed on the Menin Gate Memorial in Ypres," Mr Tehan said.
"Every evening in Ieper the residents honour the memory of those missing Australians, and every Australian who served in World War I, by sounding the Last Post at the Memorial.
"Australia's gift of a reproduction of the Lions is symbolic of our shared history as allies in the First World War.”
Mayor of Ieper Jan Durnez said: "We are proud to host thousands of Australians to our city every year, and this generous gift from the Australian Government will only strengthen a special bond that has lasted for more than 100 years.
Australian War Memorial director Dr Brendan Nelson said: “Almost every Australian who fought and died on the Ypres-Salient in Flanders, marched to battle past the Menin Gate Lions. For our 13,000 dead, they represented often the last glimpse of a civilised normality.

The ghosts of Menin Gate.

Menin Gate at midnight | The Australian War Memorial