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.
“A gift to
Australia to thank our nation for its sacrifice,
the Menin Gate Lions have welcomed visitors to
the Australian War Memorial for two generations.
In this centenary of the battle of Passchendaele,
they proudly sit on plinths in front of the
Menin Gate where they were a century ago.
“I am
proud on behalf of the Australian War Memorial
to play a part in our government's gift to the
people of Ypres (Ieper) of replica Lions to
permanently sit on plinths in front of the Menin
Gate. In welcoming visitors to Ieper they will
forever remind us the bond within which our two
countries now live, forged in bloody sacrifice
in Flanders.”
September
26 marks the 100th anniversary of the Battle of
Polygon Wood, where Mr Tehan will attend a Dawn
Service with the Governor General, Sir Peter
Cosgrove; Princess Astrid of Belgium; and the
Government of Flanders.
Media enquiries:
Minister Tehan’s Office: Byron Vale,
0428 262 894
Department of Veterans’ Affairs Media: +61 428
805 578.
Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling
Service (VVCS) can be reached 24 hours a day
across Australia for support and free and
confidential counselling. Phone 1800 011 046
(international: +61 8 8241 4546). VVCS is a
service founded by Vietnam veterans.
