In 1936, two lions, carved from limestone, were given to the Australian government by the Mayor of Ypres as a sign of friendship. Since 1822, they stood on each side of the Menin Gate in Ypres.
© Australian War Memorial
The Menin Gate memorial is a monument dedicated to British and Commonwealth soldiers killed during the fierce battles around the Ypres Salient and whose remains were never recovered during the First World War. This Gate was one of the two access points to the fortified medieval city. Between 1914 and 1918, the allied soldiers left through the gate, heading for the battlefields around the city.
After guarding the entrance to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra for years, the lions have been returned to their town of origin where they will be exhibited on the bridge near the Menin Gate from 24 April to 11 November 2017. At the same time, a small exhibition at the Ypres In Flanders Fields Museum will be dedicated to the history of these statues.
