On the 25th April each year, we stop to remember the anniversary of the landing on Gallipoli in 1915.
We also remember all Australians who have served for this country and who died in war or while on operational service.
And one of the traditions of Anzac Day is the playing of the Last Post….a bugle call that marks the end of the day’s activities
It was also used for those still out on the battlefield, to find their way back to safety
It is also played at military funerals…a soldier has gone to their final rest.
And I think one of the most haunting sounds you will ever hear, especially when played at a Dawn Service…the bugle sounding out into the silence of the dawn…
It’s origin is believed to have been in the 17th Century…as part of a more elaborate routine, known in the British Army as a “tattoo”….this was the signal that the camp was secure.
I didn’t know that there were ever words to the Last Post, but on the Royal Australian Air Force website, I found the following…
Come home! Come home! The last post is sounding
for you to hear. All good soldiers know very well there
is nothing to fear while they do what is right, and forget
all the worries they have met in their duties through the
year. A soldier cannot always be great, but he can be a
gentleman and he can be a right good pal to his comrades in
his squad. So all you soldiers listen to this – Deal fair by all
and you’ll never be amiss.Be Brave! Be Just! Be Honest and True Men
As my husband is a cornet/trumpet player, has performed the Last Post many times over the years…even when I hear him practicing, it still is so moving.
Here is a recording of him performing the Last Post…please click the link below…I took the image of the Melbourne Shrine at the Dawn Service on Anzac Day 2014…Lest we forget…
Have you ever been to a Dawn Service on Anzac Day? What do you feel when you hear The Last Post played?