12 June 2023
Ribbon cutting ceremony opens new Menin Gate Moments exhibition
CWGC Director General Claire Horton CBE, addresses the representatives and local dignitaries in front of the new exhibition.
As part of the £3.5 million restoration of the Iconic Menin Gate (Ypres) Memorial, the CWGC has just launched an exciting new exhibition 'Menin Gate Moments' located on the ramparts of the memorial.
For this, CWGC joined forces with renowned War Horse illustrator Tom Clohosy Cole to create eight original works of art depicting the history and significance of the memorial. From a peaceful gateway to a prosperous town; to a broken shell through which marched the men who fought and died in the Ypres Salient from 1914 to 1918. The artworks show how this gateway has transformed, becoming a place of remembrance, learning and healing for generations past, present and future.
The ribbon cutting - left to right: Carl Decaluwé, Governor of West Flanders, artist Tom Clohosy Cole, Emmily Talpe, Mayor of Ieper, CWGC Director General Claire Horton CBE.
The official opening ceremony of Menin Gate Moments was attended by ambassadors and embassy representatives from Australia, Canada, India, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom alongside military personnel and local dignitaries.
A speech by CWGC Director General Claire Horton CBE opened the proceedings followed by the official ribbon cutting. The exhibition was then introduced by the artist Tom Clohosy Cole and CWGC Historical Interpreter Max Dutton.
The tour of the new exhibition panels.
Afterwards there was a visit to the CWGC Ieper Information Centre nearby with its new interactive display panels showcasing the work of the CWGC and the restoration work taking place on the Memorial. It also allows the name panels on the Menin Gate to be viewed as part of a computer generated fly-through.
The Ieper Information Centre with its new interactive display.
This was followed by a visit to the In Flanders Fields Museum and the day ended with the Last Post Ceremony which will still be taking place every night on the bridge in front of the Menin Gate Memorial.
Iain Lower CB, CWGC Director of Global Strategy and Commonwealth Relations thanks In Flanders Fields Museum for their ongoing partnership. Below: The Last Post Ceremony.
