Last Post

[7] The difficulty of hearing drumbeat signals over the noise of gunfire led to the gradual introduction of the bugle, an instrument used by the Hanoverian Army, during the reign of King George III.

The bugle was found especially useful for the mobile tactics of the light infantry and the newly formed King's Royal Rifle Corps in the American War of Independence.

Hyde was dissatisfied with this edition and in 1799, produced another version with an additional chapter entitled "The Bugle Horn Duty for the Light Infantry as used by the Foot Guards"; this included the first known score for the Last Post, under the title of "Setting the Watch".

In all these countries, it has been incorporated into military funerals, where it is sounded as a final farewell, symbolising the fact that the duty of the dead soldier is over and that they can rest in peace.

When the post is sounded during services such as Anzac Day, it is required of all current serving military members to salute for the duration of the call.

On the evening that Polish forces liberated Ypres, the ceremony was resumed at the Menin Gate, in spite of the heavy fighting still going on in other parts of the town.

The Last Post Association uses both silver B♭ bugles and E♭ cavalry trumpets, with either British Army tradition being respected during services at the gate.

It is also incorporated into Karl Jenkins's orchestral mass The Armed Man, and in the movement entitled Small Town, in Peter Sculthorpe's 1963 chamber orchestra work The Fifth Continent.

A slightly altered version forms part of the slow movement of the Pastoral Symphony of Ralph Vaughan Williams and the ending of Mike Sammes' choral setting of Laurence Binyon's poem For the Fallen.