The Royal Canadian Regiment and
The First World War - 1914-1919

Menin Gate (Ypres) Memorial


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The Menin Gate Memorial is situated at the eastern side of the town of Ypres (now Ieper) in the Province of West Flanders, on the road to Menin and Courtrai. It bears the names of 55,000 men who were lost without trace during the defence of the Ypres Salient in the First World War.

Designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield and erected by the Imperial (now Commonwealth) War Graves Commission, it consists of a "Hall of Memory", 36.6 metres long by 20.1 metres wide. In the centre are broad staircases leading to the ramparts which overlook the moat, and to pillared loggias which run the whole length of the structure. On the inner walls of the Hall, on the side of the staircases and on the walls of the loggias, panels of Portland stone bear the names of the dead, inscribed by regiment and corps.

Carved in stone above the central arch are the words:

TO THE ARMIES OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE WHO STOOD HERE FROM 1914 TO 1918 AND TO THOSE OF THEIR DEAD WHO HAVE NO KNOWN GRAVE.

Over the two staircases leading from the main Hall is the inscription:

HERE ARE RECORDED NAMES OF OFFICERS AND MEN WHO FELL IN YPRES SALIENT BUT TO WHOM THE FORTUNE OF WAR DENIED THE KNOWN AND HONOURED BURIAL GIVEN TO THEIR COMRADES IN DEATH.

The dead are remembered to this day in a simple ceremony that takes place every evening at 8:00 p.m. All traffic through the gateway in either direction is halted, and two buglers (on special occasions four) move to the centre of the Hall and sound the Last Post. Two silver trumpets for use in the ceremony are a gift to the Ypres Last Post Committee by an officer of the Royal Canadian Artillery, who served with the 10th Battery, of St. Catharines, Ontario, in Ypres in April 1915.

For more information - CWGC

Royal Canadians commemorated on the Menin Gate (Ypres) Memorial are listed below.

Regt. No. Rank. Given Names. Surname. Date of Death. Remarks. CVWM/CWGC Link.
1033278CplEverettADAMS15-Nov-17 CVWM
477064PteAlfredBENTLEY03-Jun-16 CVWM
477091SgtGeorge StanleyBOVILL01-Nov-17CVWM
477098PteWalter HenryBRAGG05-Jun-16 CVWM
477112PteJohn JosephBROWN02-Jun-16 CVWM
261623L-CplHarryBURNETT30-Oct-17CVWM
477159PteAbraham ChristopherCARSON16-Nov-17CVWM
478739PteFrank ScottCLEVELAND30-Oct-17CVWM
477185PteWalter EdgarCOLP05-Jun-16CVWM
478055SgtJohnCONNOLLY15-Nov-17MMCVWM
478690PteFrederick GeorgeCROSSLEY15-Nov-17CVWM
477244PteLeo ZachrieD'ENTREMONT05-Jun-16 CVWM
477218PtePercyDANDO03-Jun-16 CVWM
477219PteJohnDANIEL02-Jun-16 CVWM
477235PteThomasDEAN05-Jun-16 CVWM
817612PteSilasDEWITT31-Oct-17CVWM
401163PteJamesDIXON26-Oct-17CVWM
414506PteFred B.FERGUSON31-Oct-17CVWM
733400CplRufus GeorgeFOWLES16-Nov-17CVWM
444235CplCharles CarmichaelGIBSON30-Oct-17CVWM
261306PteAlbert ThomasGRAHAM29-Oct-17CVWM
1033017PteJohn WilliamGRAHAM30-Oct-17CVWM
207179PteFelixGRYNIEWICZ31-Oct-17CVWM
477377PteDouglas ThomasHAMILTON02-Jun-16 CVWM
478682PteWallace EarleHAUGHN31-Oct-17CVWM
488223PteGeorge FrancisHAWKINS16-Nov-17CVWM
477395PteJohn GarfieldHEBB05-Jun-16 CVWM
478515PtePhilipHICKS03-Jun-16 CVWM
477407PteFrankHINCHCLIFFE02-Jun-16 CVWM
477432L/CplThomas WilliamHOWLETT05-Jun-16 CVWM
715938PteSamuel JamesJEANS31-Oct-17CVWM
477470PteGeraldJOHNSTON31-Oct-17CVWM
477491PteFrederick WilliamKENWARD05-Jun-16 CVWM
478050PteLeoLANDRY04-Jun-16 CVWM
477519PteLouis BernardLAW05-Jun-16 CVWM
445389PteJohnMacPHIE05-Jun-16 CVWM
793206PteWilmer BlackmoreMATHER30-Oct-17Also svc no. 444772CVWM
513409PteJohn SinclairMATTHEWS31-Oct-17CVWM
478566PteJohn AlexanderMcDONALD14-Nov-17CVWM
739427PteVictorMELLEN31-Oct-17CVWM
261556PteJoseph RobertMORTON31-Oct-17CVWM
477624PteThomas PatrickMURRAY02-Jun-16 CVWM
716196PteRupert PeterNELSON31-Oct-17CVWM
477678PteAlbertNYE02-Jun-16 CVWM
477764PteWilliamREAY01-Jun-16 CVWM
Lieut.Arthur REED30-Oct-17CVWM
733237PteFrank SandersonROGERS30-Oct-17CVWM
733669PteHerman WesleyROY31-Oct-17CVWM
478966L-SgtFredSALMON16-Nov-17CVWM
261695PtePeterSIEMENS16-Nov-17CVWM
415345PteWilcoxSPRACKLIN31-Oct-17CVWM
477872PteGeorge Francis JosephSTACEY03-Jun-16 CVWM
207778PteRoss AlexanderSTEWART30-Oct-17CVWM
488410PteWilliam DavidSTEWART31-Oct-17 CVWM
477894PteCyril EwartSTYLES02-Jun-16 CVWM
733928PteRoscoe VaughTRASK16-Nov-17CVWM
477931PteWilliam CharlesTUFFS05-Jun-16 CVWM
733740PteGorman DewittTUFTS18-Nov-17CVWM
207190PteLudgerTURGEON30-Oct-17CVWM
478792PteGregoireVITCKO27-Oct-17CVWM
733944PteEverett NathanielWENTZELL16-Nov-17CVWM
678953PteArthur CharlesWHITE30-Oct-17CVWM
478002PteHaroldWILKS03-Jun-16 CVWM
261344PteHarvey FlemingWILSON30-Oct-17CVWM
478981PteNormanWILSON31-Oct-17CVWM

The Menin Gate The Menin Gate The Menin Gate

Photos by Fred, a member of the Canadian Expeditionary Force Study Group

The Menin Gate, The Royal Canadian Regiment

Panel Number 10 on the Menin Gate includes names of the following CEF units:

  • Lord Strathcona's Horse
  • Canadian Light Horse
  • Canadian Artillery
  • Canadian Engineers
  • The Royal Canadian Regiment
  • Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
  • 1st Canadian Infantry Battalion
  • 2nd Canadian Infantry Battalion

Click the thumbnail image below to see the complete Panel Number 10.

The Menin Gate, Panel Number 10.

Photos by Judy Rieck; a member of the Great War Forum.

Spelling Discrepancies of Soldiers' Names

In 2006, the Menin Gate was visited by a Warrant Officer of The RCR who identified to Regimental Headquarters that there appeared to be some naming errors. As the Regimental Adjutant at the time, I researched the names and provided the following information, which was also published in the regimental journal Pro Patria 2006. - M. O'Leary

Remarks from review of sources.
478966 L-Sgt. Fred SALMON
16 Nov 1917
Menin Gate (Ypres) Memorial; Belgium		 Regt History, Vol 1, lists SALMON as L/Sgt
Canadian Virtual war memorial (CVWM) shows him as Cpl
Book of Remembrance shows him as L/Sgt
Possible transcription error by CVWM.
477244 Pte Leo Zachrie D'ENTREMONT
5 Jun 1916
Menin Gate (Ypres) Memorial; Belgium		 Regt History, Vol 1, lists D'ENTREMONT as a Pte
CVWM shows him as L/Cpl
Book of Remembrance shows his as Pte
It is possible that D'ENTREMONT was promoted to L/Cpl by the Regiment, but that a later check of the service record for the Book of Remembrance did not include confirmation in that rank before his death, and/or possible transcription error by CVWM.
444235 Cpl. Charles Carmichael GIBSON
30 Oct 1917
Menin Gate (Ypres) Memorial; Belgium		 History, Vol 1, listed GIBSON as a Cpl
CVWM shows him as L/Cpl
Book of Remembrance shows his as Cpl
Possible transcription error by CVWM.
261331 Pte John BRAMHALL
14 Nov 1917
Poelcapelle British Cemetery; Belgium		 Regt History, Vol 1, lists BRAMHALL.
CVWM lists him, but not identified as commemorated on the Menin Gate.
Book of Remembrance includes him.
Possibly initially listed as missing and confirmed for the Menin Gate, later identified as buried at Poelcapelle.
478739 Pte Frank Scott CLEVELAND
30 Oct 1917
Menin Gate (Ypres) Memorial; Belgium		 Regt Hist Vol 1 - Cleveland
CVWM - Cleveland
Book of Remembrance - Cleveland
Attestation paper - Cleveland
Misspelling on Menin Gate Memorial.
478566 Pte John Alexander McDONALD
14 Nov 1917
Menin Gate (Ypres) Memorial; Belgium		 Regt History, Vol 1, listed as J.A. McDONALD as a Pte
CVWM shows him as "MacDonald".
Book of Remembrance shows him as "McDonald".
Attestation paper - Form filled in (by clerk?) as "McDonald; "signed" as "MacDonald", but with "his mark - X" notations at each signature spot Misspelling on Menin Gate Memorial; the switching of "Mc" and "Mac" seems to be a common error in First World War records.
446420 Pte Daniel McDONALD
2 Jun 1916
Divisional Collecting Post Cemetery Extension; Belgium		 Regt History, Vol 1, lists one "D. MacDONALD".
CVWM lists one "D. MacDONALD"; Pte The RCR.
Book of Remembrance shows him as "McDonald"
Attestation paper - "MacDonald"
Misspelling on Menin Gate Memorial and CVWM; the switching of "Mc" and "Mac" seems to be a common error in First World War records. May have been listed as grave unknown and name placed on Menin Gate, later gravesite identified and now recorded as Divisional Collecting Post Cemetery Extension; Belgium.

Pro Patria