Canadians will soon gather across the country to remember and honour those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in the military service of this country. Commemorative services will be held in venues large and small, and as the clock strikes eleven, the mournful strains of “Last Post” will be played.

The tune is evocative and instantly recognizable, certainly to anyone who has grown up in this country, or any Commonwealth country, and has likely heard it from childhood. Its association is immediate. What is this tune and where does it come from?

Gregory Kennedy is a professor and dean of arts at Brandon University. He is a published historian with a specialty in the history of early Canada, especially New France and the French Atlantic World. His most current book is “Lost in the Crowd: A

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