Photographs from the branch visit to the National Arboretum held on 17/18 June 2023

Branch Members

The Armed Forces Memorial

From the jungles of Malaysia to the South Atlantic seas the Armed Forces Memorial remembers those who have lost their lives around the world since 1948

The memorial’s creator architect Liam O’Connor was inspired by prehistoric Britain and ancient Rome. The memorial sits on a six metre high earth mound, 100 metres wide at the base reducing to 50 metres at the top, which is based on early British barrows. At the top stands a 43 metre diameter stone structure. 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.

A gap has been left in the two southern walls of the Memorial. On Armistice Day a shaft of sunlight falls through this gap onto the bronze wreath in the centre of the Memorial.

The Stretcher Bearers sculpture by Ian Rank Broadley shows a wounded serviceman borne by comrades, watched by grieving family. It represents the cost of armed conflict on those left behind. 

The Gates sculpture group, also by Ian Rank Broadley shows the body of a fallen serviceman taken into the arms of his comrades, and a figure pointing through the Great Gates of Eternity to Paradise. 

South Atlantic Medal Association Memorial and Antelope Garden. The wall resembles the memorial at the Blue Beach Cemetery in San Carlos.

H.M.S. Sheffield (Shiny Sheff) Memorial

The sculpture represents the prow of a ship breaking through a wave.

H.M.S. Argonaut Memorial

H.M.S. Ardent Memorial , an original anchor from HMS Ardent.

National Submariner Memorial by Paul Day.

“Of all the branches of men in the forces there is none which shows more devotion and faces grimmer perils than the submariner.” (Winston Churchill)

The Naval Service Memorial, a place for shipmates and their families of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, their Reserves, RFA, QARNNS, WRNS and RNXS to quietly remember their comrades and loved ones.

Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships (D.E.M.S) Memorial Garden with Bofors Gun.

Merchant Navy Association Memorial and Convoy Wood.

A wood of oak trees representing the 'convoy' of merchant and fishing vessels lost in conflicts of the 20th Century, resulting in the deaths of 46,000 crew. The 2,535 trees each represent a ship lost during WW2. 

Army Apprentices Parade Sat. 17 June 2023

The 49th West Riding Infantry Division Memorial (Named the "Polar Bears" following the Division's service in Norway and Iceland)

The Pegasus Bridge Memorial, dedicated to the Glider Pilot Regiment.

Depicts 3 "Horsa" Gliders descending to Pegasus Bridge.

The Royal Tank Regiment Memorial. A model of a Mark V tank , with H41 marking, on top of a brick plinth.

The Royal Artillery Garden 

The Polish Forces War Memorial

The Devonshire and Dorset Regiment Memorial. The bronze figures depict soldiers serving at The Somme, at Kohima in World War Two and in Northern Ireland

The Royal Engineers Memorial

Memorial Plaque

The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Memorial

Camp Bastion Memorial. A recreation of the memorial which once stood in the camp.

Train tour of Arboretum

The Shot at Dawn Memorial, dedicated to 306 British and Commonwealth soldiers executed after courts marshal for desertion and other capital offences during WWI

R.A.F. Association Memorial Garden; a zephyr grey stone, headed with the RAF Association’s wings emblem and inscribed in stainless steel. The statue of the Eagle is made from over 1,000 individually crafted feathers and stands three metres high on a black marble plinth.

Memorial to members of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force.

216 Squadron R.A.F. Memorial. The Squadron was formed in 1918 in France and originally operated 0/400 Handley Page open cockpit bi-plane bombers. The inter war years saw them delivering mail and freight as well as route-proving and survey work throughout North and West Africa. In 1941 216 Squadron transported the SAS on their first ever operation SQUATTER and a few years later in 1944 worked on detachment in Burma supporting Chindits where in three months the Squadron dropped more than 600 tons of supplies, carried 7,200 passengers and evacuated 500 casualties. 216 Squadron was the first military jet squadron receiving the Comet C Mk2 in June 1956 and the C Mk4 February 1962. The squadron reformed on 1^st November 1984, flying the Tristar aircraft as a result of the Falklands War. In the course of the Tristar era, the Squadron was awarded Battle Honours for ‘Gulf 1991’, ‘Kosovo 1999’, Afghanistan 2001-14’, ‘Iraq 2003-11’ and ‘Libya 2011’. The Squadron was disbanded on 31^st March 2014, before being reformed on 1^st April 2020 as a swarming drone experimental Squadron.

The Women’s Land Army and Timber Corps Memorial. This bronze memorial features two women dressed in the uniforms of the Women’s Land Army and Women’s Timber Corps. The land girl holds a sprig of corn in one hand and a pitchfork in the other. The Lumber Jill holds an axe, a sprig of oak and a pine cone, symbolising the woods with which they worked.

The Railway Industry Memorial, the memorial celebrates the achievements of the railway industry family, who gave their lives in times of both conflict and peace. 

The British Evacuees Association Memorial. This memorial is not simply a memorial for the evacuated children but all those involved in the evacuation process i.e. the train drivers, teachers, nurses, billeting offices, and of course, the foster parents. It is intended to portray the greatest family and social upheaval ever experienced in the long history of our country, a unique, never to be repeated, part of British history.

The Royal British Legion Never Forget Tribute Garden.

The UK Police Memorial honours the courage and sacrifice of members of the police service who have dedicated their lives to protecting us all.

A bronze sculpture depicting a handshake between a British soldier and a German soldier encased within an open-meshed steel football. The British soldier's hand is depicted with the cuff button of the Royal Warwickshire regiment; the German soldier also wears a regimental button, possibly a Saxon regiment.

"The Footballers' Battalion" Memorial. The Memorial is based on an original one paid for and unveiled by Layton Orient fans on French soil in the village of Flers, in the heart of the Somme battlefields in northern France.

The Korean War Memorial. A memorial garden planted with 25 species of trees originating from Korea and other parts of Asia. A rough-hewn granite stone of irregular shape with a dedicatory bronze plaque affixed is the central feature of the garden. 

The Burma Railway Memorial commemorates the 60,000 POWS and 180,000 locals who constructed the infamous Burma Railway 'Railway of Death', of which around 106,000 died. It is constructed from the original rails and sleepers.

The Normandy Campaign Memorial. The memorial is a permanent tribute to all the men and women of the Allied offensive which turned the tide of World War Two. The 1944 landings - involving 156,000 troops - were the first stage of the invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe. By the end of D-Day on 6 June 1944, the Allies had established a foothold in France - an event that would eventually lead to an end of the war in Europe. More than 4,000 British, American and Canadian troops lost their lives on the first day of the battle.