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December 2025 | Phonebox Magazine 21Olney men lay wreaths at Menin GateBrothers take town council laurel with them to Belgium.Two brothers, who were so moved by a summertime %u2018Last Post%u2019 ceremony at the Menin Gate war memorial that they vowed to return in November, took an Olney Town Council wreath with them to Belgium.Nigel and Scott Birrell, from Olney, took a short holiday in the European state last summer to visit war graves near Ypres, and attended the 8pm Last Post ceremony at the historic Menin Gate memorial. The evening event has been held every night since 1927, apart from the years of the German occupation during World War 2. %u201cWe resolved to return for the November Armistice and applied to lay a wreath during the service,%u201d said Nigel. %u201cAs men from Olney had been lost in the war, we asked the town council if we could lay a wreath for them too. They agreed and actually gave us a wreath to take.%u201dThe brothers returned to Belgium on 9th November in time for the Armistice ceremony two days later, carrying two poppy wreaths, one remembering fi ve men of Olney and one for three Birrells, who are not close family, but whose names are carved in the stone walls.Following a one-minute silence, a band rendition of %u2018I vow to thee my country%u2019 and a lament from the pipes, Nigel and Scott were signalled to walk forward and lay their wreaths.%u201cPoppy petals lay on the ground from the morning service,%u201d said Nigel. %u201cWe turned to walk forward, wreaths were laid, a step back, a gesture of the head, and it was a right turn, single fi le back. %u201cThe bands played as each one marched off into the town, and then silence returned. As I stood, my eyes searched the walls covered with names. I felt as though those who were being remembered were not that far away and were aware of our eff orts not to forget. %u201cTomorrow night at 8pm the bugles will be back to sound the Last Post and the next and the next. They have played for nearly 100 years %u2013 let us hope that sound will last for another 100.%u201d