According to The Canberra Times:
Tens of thousands of Australian soldiers marched past the Menin Gate lions on their way to the battlefields of Belgium’s Ypres during World War I.
Many never returned.
Almost 100 years later Belgium’s crown prince has marched past those same stone lions – which now stand at the main entrance of the Australian War Memorial in Canberra – to honour the Diggers that died on his country’s soil.
Prince Philippe visited the memorial on Friday as part of a week-long visit to Australia.
A total of 12,749 Australian troops are buried or commemorated in Belgium.
To read the complete story in The Canberra Times , please click here.
Menin Gate Lion is one of 2 located at the entreance of the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. The Menin Gate Lions are medieval stone lions which once stood either side of Menin Gate in Ypres, Belgium. The lions were recovered from the ruins of the Menin Gate after Ypres was destroyed in the war. The lions were given to the Australia Government in 1936 by Burgomaster of Ypres as a gesture of friendship between the town and Australia. Today the lions commemorate the service of Australian soldiers who fought to defend the town of Ypres in 1917. Photo by Bidgee
