The National Memorial Arboretum is a British site of national remembrance at

Alrewas Alrewas ( ) is a village and civil parish in the Lichfield District of Staffordshire, England. Geography The village is beside the River Trent and about northeast of Lichfield. It is located southwest of Burton-on-Trent. The parish is bounded ...

, near

Lichfield Lichfield () is a cathedral city and civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated roughly south-east of the county town of Stafford, south-east of Rugeley, north-east of Walsall, north-west of Tamworth and south-west o ...

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

. Its objective is to honour the fallen, recognise service and sacrifice, and foster pride in the British Armed Forces and civilian community. In 2017, after undergoing a large scale regeneration project, the Arboretum's new award-winning Remembrance Centre was officially opened by

the Duke of Cambridge Duke of Cambridge, one of several current royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom , is a hereditary title of specific rank of nobility in the British royal family. The title (named after the city of Cambridge in England) is heritable by male de ...

on 23 March. Featuring three new exhibition galleries, larger restaurant and shop, separate coffee shop and a courtyard with garden, it provides visitors with facilities fitting that of a large scale visitor attraction. In 2018 the National Memorial Arboretum was awarded Gold Large Visitor Attraction of the Year in VisitEngland's Awards for Excellence, as well as Coach Friendly Attraction of the Year in the British Coach Tourism Awards.

Origins

The idea for the Arboretum was conceived by Commander David Childs CBE in 1988, who wished to establish a national focus or 'centre' for Remembrance to those that had passed after giving to their community or country. Following a meeting with Group Captain Leonard Cheshire VC, an appeal was launched in 1994 by the then Prime Minister,

John Major Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997, and as Member of Parliament ...

. He believed that the Arboretum would form a living tribute to service men and women for future generations to reflect upon and enjoy while walking through a beautiful green scenery. The future of the project became assured when three proposals were agreed. These were: for the site to be the location of the

Armed Forces Memorial The Armed Forces Memorial is a national memorial in the United Kingdom, dedicated to the 16,000 servicemen and women of the British Armed Forces killed on duty or through terrorist action since after the Second World War. It is within the Nationa ...

; for the Ministry of Defence to pay a significant grant-in-aid to allow for free entry and that

The Royal British Legion The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants, as well as all others in ne ...

would accept the gift of the site as the focus for the Nation's year-round Remembrance. The project began with no money, no land, no staff and no trees, just an idea which was yet to exist in reality. The National Lottery, in the form of the Millennium Commission, granted some forty per cent of the funds needed and this was matched by thousands of donations, both large and small, from a wide variety of organisations both military and civilian, men and women, corporate and voluntary. Planting began on the reclaimed gravel workings, bordered by the Rivers Trent and Tame, gifted to the charity by Tarmac

Lafarge La Farge, LaFarge or Lafarge can refer to: People * Antoinette LaFarge (1966–), American artist and writer * Christopher Grant LaFarge (1862–1938), American architect and partner in the firm Heins & LaFarge * Christopher Grant La Farge ( ...

in 1997. The initial planting took place thanks to grants from the

Forestry Commission The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for the management of publicly owned forests and the regulation of both public and private forestry in England. The Forestry Commission was previously also respon ...

and the National Forest, and since then has been shaped by a staff of thousands: a small paid group; a dedicated and active Friends of the National Memorial Arboretum organisation; and countless others who have either planted individual trees or helped create a memorial for their organisation. The Arboretum was officially opened on 16 May 2001. It is a

registered charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ch ...

and is part of The

Royal British Legion The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants, as well as all others in ne ...

family of charities.

Location

The National Memorial Arboretum, Alrewas

The National Memorial Arboretum is situated just south of

on approximately of old gravel workings, north of

. It is adjacent to the confluence of the River Tame with the

River Trent The Trent is the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, third-longest river in the United Kingdom. Its Source (river or stream), source is in Staffordshire, on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through and drains the North Midland ...

, and directly neighbouring

Croxall Lakes Croxall Lakes is a nature reserve located between the villages of Croxall and Alrewas, Staffordshire, in the United Kingdom. The nature reserve comprises two lakes and grassland between them. The lakes were formed through the quarrying of sand an ...

. It is at the western end of the National Forest, just off the

A38 road The A38, parts of which are known as Devon Expressway, Bristol Road and Gloucester Road, Bristol, Gloucester Road, is a major A-class trunk road in England. The road runs from Bodmin in Cornwall to Mansfield in Nottinghamshire. It is long, mak ...

Features

The Arboretum contains more than 25,000 trees. There are more than 400 memorials for the armed forces, civilian organisations and voluntary bodies who have played a part in serving the country; and even HMS ''Amethyst's'' cat Simon. The largest section was the Armed Forces Memorial. At the heart of the Arboretum is the

, which is a tribute to over 16,000 service personnel who have lost their lives in conflict or as a result of terrorism since the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. At 11 am on 11 November each year the sun shines through two slits in the outer and inner walls of the memorial, casting a shaft of light across a wreath in the centre. The

was dedicated in October 2007 by the Archbishop of Canterbury in the presence of the Queen. Other areas of the site include an RAF 'wing', Naval review and Army parade. Civilian areas include 'The Beat' which contains memorials and dedications to police forces from around the UK and commonwealth. There is a Wartime Nurses Memorial, to 1,300 VAD and professional nurses who died in the 1st and 2nd World Wars, to find it, 'go to the RAMC memorial. Keeping this and the Polish War Memorial behind you, walk up the grove and go to the footpath beside the river, then a small distance left'. Within the Arboretum is the Millennium Chapel of Peace and Forgiveness where, at 11 am each day, an act of remembrance takes place. Following the two minutes silence, accompanied by the

Last Post The "Last Post" is either an A or a B♭ bugle call, primarily within British infantry and Australian infantry regiments, or a D or an E♭ cavalry trumpet call in British cavalry and Royal Regiment of Artillery (Royal Horse Artillery and Ro ...

and

Reveille "Reveille" ( , ), called in French "Le Réveil" is a bugle call, trumpet call, drum, fife-and-drum or pipes call most often associated with the military; it is chiefly used to wake military personnel at sunrise. The name comes from (or ), th ...

, there is an introductory talk about the arboretum. The Bastion Memorial commemorates British casualties of the

War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) The War in Afghanistan was an armed conflict that began when an Participants in Operation Enduring Freedom, international military coalition led by the United States launched United States invasion of Afghanistan, an invasion of Afghanistan, ...

. A memorial to the '' Lisbon Maru'' was unveiled in 2021. A 'remembrance glade' was unveiled at the Arboretum by the

in September 2021, featuring plants chosen for their symbolic meanings in relation to grief and new beginnings. Daily activities on site include guided walks, buggy tours, Land Train rides and free talks, as well as the Daily Act of Remembrance. Most of these activities are conducted by a team of over 260 volunteers, who collectively dedicate more than 52,000 hours of their time per year to the Arboretum. In 2010, the Volunteers of the National Memorial Arboretum were awarded The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service.

Memorials

File:Armed Forces Memorial general view.jpg, A general view of the memorial, which commemorates service men and women killed since 1945. The two curved walls and two straight walls are made from bricks covered with Portland stone panels. At the centre of the Memorial are two bronze sculptures created by Ian Rank-Broadley. This memorial remembers over 16000 people who has been killed or sacrificed their lives while on duty or targeted by terrorists or they died on operational theatre for us. Their names have been written in a panel for us to remember their significance in the Armed Forces. File:View across the Armed Forces Memorial.JPG, View across the memorial. File:Sculptures and names Armed Forces Memorial.JPG, Names on the wall and one of two sculptures by

Ian Rank-Broadley Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS (born 1952) is a British sculptor who has produced many acclaimed works, among which are several designs for British coinage and the memorial statue of Princess Diana at Kensington Palace in London unveiled on her 60th ...

. File:Sculpture silhouette Armed Forces Memorial.JPG, One of the sculptures silhouetted in the sun. Some of the other features of the National Memorial Arboretum are described below.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2001 establishments in England Arboreta in England British military memorials and cemeteries Charities based in Staffordshire Monuments and memorials in Staffordshire Parks and open spaces in Staffordshire The Royal British Legion Protected areas established in 2001