Rileys at the Menin Gates
A ‘very special’ occasion as Hamilton bugler takes part in solemn ceremony
YPRES, BELGIUM — With his red uniform and Wolseley pith helmet, the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry’s Brian Vautour was a bugler with a difference.
Next to three regular buglers in black outfits, his fellow Rileys’ in dull green, and a U.K. military regiment in beige, Vautour was eye-catching from the moment he marched into the Menin Gates in Ypres Tuesday.
Vautour and the Hamilton Rileys made history by being permitted to take part in the solemn nightly tribute to the more than 50,000 Commonwealth soldiers who died fighting to protect Ypres Salient during the First World War.
Every evening since 1928, except during the Second World War, buglers from the fire brigade lead the ceremony. It is extremely uncommon for a bugler from another country to be given a spot on the roster.
It was only because of persistence by the RHLI — that involved sending an audition tape and list of credentials — that the privilege was granted.
The three regular buglers performed first followed by Vautour, who did a strong version of the “Rouse.” After a minute of silence was observed, Vautour was besieged like a rock star by tourists wanting to take selfies and other photos with him.
William Scott, a Northern Irish tourist who had seen the ceremony six times before, told The Spectator that he was thrilled to see the involvement of a Canadian regiment.
“It means a lot for them to come from so far away to pay their respects,” he said. “It was very special.”
In addition to having a bugler take part in the nightly ceremony, the Rileys’ commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel J.P. Hoekstra read the Ode of Remembrance and senior officers placed a wreath at the site.
Vautour, 36, who also plays trumpet in the Rileys’ military band, said “the whole thing became surreal when we marched out and came to attention standing underneath the arch, and I was looking down the boulevard with the troops in front and the names on the walls and you see all the people down the street that came out. That was something else.”
Riley Vallance Patrick said “All my life I didn’t think I’d get to the Menin Gate. And here we are being allowed to participate in the ceremony.”
The Rileys are on a 10-day tour of battlefields and cemeteries in France and Belgium, with the main stop being Dieppe for 75th anniversary on Saturday.