Remembrance - National Memorial Arboretum

Nov 11th, 2008

At 11am the three remaining WW1 veterans, Harry Patch, Willam Stone and Henry Allingham attended the Cenotaph in London, to remember their fallen comrades, exactly 90 years after the guns fell silent on the Western Front. At the same time services took place across the UK and Europe, including the National Memorial Arboretum, in Staffordshire.

The Arboretum, is on a 150 acres, with memorials to the armed forces, police, fire services etc. It is in it's 'early' stages and will take many years to reach full maturity, although 50,000 trees have been planted. There is a plantation of 2,535 oaks to represent the number of British flagged merchant vessels lost to enemy action during World War II, and Eucalyptus, planted to acknowledge the vital role played by Australian airmen, based in UK during World War II. An azalea garden has been started with Azalea Antelope. This is dedicated to all who served on HMS Antelope, sunk during the Falklands conflict in 1982 with the loss of two lives - just some of the memorials on the site.

The Arboretum is located between Birmingham and Derby, just off the A38 north of Lichfield and south of Burton on Trent and is increasingly a popular place to visit and entry is free. A daily act of remembrance takes place in the Millennium Chapel at 11:00 every day of the year incorporating Last Post, silence and Reveille and the site has conference facilities, restaurant, gift shop etc.

To find out more, visit there site HERE.

In Flanders Fields
by John McCrae, May 1915

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep,
though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

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