The Last Post is a song that has been around for hundreds of years, its sound one of the most distinctive in existence. Citizens and members of militarises worldwide are able to recognise its somewhat haunting, poignant notes, played by a single bugler. It is a tune that bonds humanity together, slipping past the country, city, and religious lines that divide all. That familiar and recognisable tune carries the names, the faces, and the memories of all who have died in wars throughout history.
Although the Last Post has come to carry such mournful weight and meaning, it was not originally used in a memorial context. In fact, the Last Post was just a simple song in its very first years. First published and played in the 1790s, the Last Post was one of many bugle calls used by the British Army.
These calls were used to help soldiers keep track of time when living in encampments. Each sound of the bugle instructed British soldiers, with different “songs” or notes letting them know if it was time to wake for the day, time to enjoy a meal, time to partake in military exercises, or time to turn in for the night. Every day in camp was regulated and run according to the calls of the army’s bugler.
Typically, soldiers’ days began with buglers playing Reveille, the daily wake up call, and ended with the sounds of the Last Post. When played in camp, the Last Post signalled that the duty officers had completed their sentry-post inspection around the encampment’s perimeter. So, the Last Post earned its name simply because it was sounded to signal that the last of these posts had been inspected. For a number of decades, the end of such a security check was the only time during which the bugle call would be heard. It was simply the sound that let soldiers know their days were completed, and their location was secure .
