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Membership Secretary:- 24 Park Road, Alrewas, Staffs, DE13 7AG
Tel No 01283 791218. Email: arboretum@dlaproduction.co.uk
Please note new email address
Newsletter Editor: Anne Smith
41 Bradgate Drive, Four Oaks, Sutton Coldfield
West Midlands, B74 4XG
Tel/Fax: 0121-352-0273
E-mail: twocats@btinternet.com
Website address: http://www.friendsofnma.org.uk
Dear Friends,
Saturday, 23rd June : For the Troops
Sunday, 24th June : National Service Veterans' Association
Kirsten Conway aged 8 It would mean a lot to them because they would be helping the country by serving them.
Monday, 25th June : Navy Theme Day
Tuesday, 26th June : Questions & Answers
Wednesday, 27th June : Veterans' Day
Thursday, 28th June : RAF Theme Day
Friday, 29th June : Army Theme Day
Saturday 30th June:
Thursday 5th July
The whole period will thrust the NMA onto the public stage as never before, and it will be a very exciting and stretching time for all of us. One of the challenges will be predicting how many people will actually visit on each given day and adjusting to their requirements, which may be different from those of regular NMA visitors to which we have become accustomed. To prepare ourselves, we are holding a short afternoon conference on 23 September. The speakers will be Rev Jeff Leonardi from Lichfield Diocese who will speak about bereavement and the possible effects of this on our visitors, and Liam O'Connor, the AFM Architect who will talk to us on the concept and design of the Memorial. Afterwards there will be a Question and Answer session to give you the opportunity to ask us any AFM related question that you may wish. Details have already been sent out to you, but please do try to attend, it will be important to the smooth running of this busy period.
However, there are so many things going on at the Arboretum for Christmas that I am enclosing a leaflet which details all the events that are coming up. To book, or simply find out more about these and other events, please
Tel: 01283-792333 or email: nmainfo@britishlegion.org.uk
January 2008 5th Saturday
Because there are so many dedications/events/rememberance services taking place at the Arboretum now there are too many to mention in the newsletter so, for a FULL list of all the events, etc., taking place at the Arboretum
please contact the Arboretum on Tel: 01283-792333 or on the Website: www.nationalmemorialarboretum.org.uk
A number of the future dedications can be found on the Forthcoming Events page on this site.
One interesting outcome of the floods has been that the island in the River Tame is no longer an island. Material from the southern end of the island was scoured out and deposited as a gravel spit to form a land bridge to the island.
This summer there have been also several sightings of voles in the War Widows Rose Garden and we have also had a family of weasels along the perimeter of the Arboretum. In addition we had nesting Moorhens on the Royal Artillery Pond but sadly this ended in tragedy with the one surviving chick soon disposed of, probably by a weasel.
The reed area at the end of Millennium Avenue has been great for observing sedge warblers and reed buntings at close quarters.
Autumn Newsletter 2007
Well, what a Summer, if you can call it that. I shall be glad to get away to the sunshine which, hopefully, I shall be enjoying whilst you are reading this. Anyway, lots to say, so had better get on! 
As you know the Summer started off very wet indeed and our best wishes and sympathies go out to all our members who have been affected by these weather conditions. Of course we didn't get away unscathed at the Arboretum and 10,000 worth of trees will have to be replaced due to the effects of the flooding.
Here are two photographs, one of The Beat and the other the RNLI and 41 Club Memorials (which shows a lake extending right over to the Croxall Nature Reserve, yes there is a river in the middle of there somewhere!), which give you a good idea of just how much of the Arboretum was under water at any one time.
We have received a couple of nominations but if you know of a deserving Friend for this award then you still have time to put your nominations in writing, stating why you think this person would be eligible, and send to Mrs. C. Davies-Lee, 24 Park Road, Alrewas, Staffordshire, DE13 7AG, to be received by the end of October. We know they are out there so please nominate them!!
As you know we usually have a Friends' Open Evening in the Autumn of each year but, due to the fact that we will be extremely busy with two very big events at the Arboretum this year we have decided to hold this in the Spring of next year. It will be in the Tamworth area but please keep checking the newsletters for dates. However, the Christmas Walk and Epiphany Service will still go ahead as usual, see below for dates.
Following the AGM, and in line with the new Constitution, we are pleased to announce that Ken Pilgrim, our Treasurer, has been voted in as the new Vice Chairman. We are all pleased that Ken agreed to accept this role and we look forward to working with him during his term of office.
There have been many new plots dedicated this year and this is only one of them. I was hoping that the newsletter was going to be in colour this time but it has turned out to be just too expensive. 
I am still going to put this picture in but you will have to imagine the colours of the flowers, red (poppies), white and yellow and as this is just one small piece, you can imagine what an entire field looked like. (You can see the colours on the website) This is only the first year of planting, next year should be even better.(the colours of course can be see on this website).
Paul Kennedy gave us a fascinating insight into the trees that we have at the Arboretum and we all learnt a lot about their history, where they originated and how they were discovered. We all feel able to answer questions by visitors a little better now, although there is still a lot to learn. We look forward to more talks from Paul, he always makes them so entertaining and informative, with lots of anecdotes and stories about the various species. I can honestly say Paul's talks are never boring!
We all enjoyed our break in August but it will be back to hard work from now on. There are so many big events coming up that the Arboretum needs to look at its best, so please come and help. The dates for the next working weekends are 6/7 October, 10th November (we will be needed for Armistice Sunday, so no working day on the 11th but we are working on the 10th as there will be a lot to do), 8/9th December, 12/13th January.
Whilst on the working weekend we discovered that our little duck (pictured here on St. Dunstans Walk late in June) had made her nest and laid her eggs in the hedge round the Rose Garden. I am happy to report that the duck hatched the eggs on Monday the 16th of July and at least 3 egg shells were seen. By the next day the duck had gone, she had vacated the nest during the night and walked the ducklings to the nearest water. We can only hope they survived the floods and are now all grown up and swimming around happily on the Tame.
We are pleased to announce that in conjunction with Lichfield Camera Club we will be holding a Photographic Competition which will be entitled 'Remembrance'. There will be a number of classes and categories, all of which will be explained in great detail, and the competition itself will take place in May 2008. Photographs from the competition will be on display at the Arboretum for a short while after completion of competition but, as I said, there will be full details given shortly. Start taking your photographs now!
Jane Vaughan has a very good stock of all items of our clothing and if you would like to buy or order any of these then please contact Jane Vaughan on 01283-712025 and she will be pleased to help you.
We are still looking for people who would be interested in looking after a plot on a regular basis, or donating funds towards the upkeep of a particular plot. If you feel you would like to help then please contact Paul Kennedy, Grounds Manager, at the Arboretum on Tel. No: 01283-792333.
So much went on that week that it is difficult to know where to begin. All I will say is that everybody was shattered at the end of it but it was a wonderful occasion and the only thing that dampened spirits was the occasional shower (read down pour) of rain!! However, on the whole the weather, despite what the forecasters said, was not too bad. I will try to bring you up to speed but I apologise now to all those I do not manage to mention.
The RAF Police held a service and dedication of their memorial and this was a well attended affair. After the service we had a fly past by a Dakota, Spitfire and Hurricane (only the Dakota shown here). We then all helped to get ready for the evening concert which I think you will probably notice from the pictures went down exceedingly well. The concert was compared by Touch FM and the performers were Company B, a family troupe who come from Tamworth, The Swingcats who were three very talented young ladies from Scotland and The West Midlands Police Band. We all ended up waving our flags and singing like mad, a thoroughly good evening was had by all. Our Chairman, Carol Davies-Lee and I were forced to have out photo taken but I think it shows we were enjoying ourselves.
This was, as usual, a well attended and organised event with the Gurkhas in attendance and I attach comments from school children who visited the Arboretum during the day when they were asked 'What does being a veteran mean to me'.
Amy Owen aged 8 They are proud of them cause they risk lives for there country
Chloe Brown aged 11 They helped save peoples life and that's partly why we know this information plus they helped lots of people like Winston Churchill.
Isobel Twine aged 8 It means a lot to them because their helping there country and I think their happy about it.
Harnet Smith aged 11 A veteran means that you have been away to fight, the army or the navy or the RAF
Charlotte Rogers aged 10 Being a veteran mean to me that someone has fought in a war to help our country has done something for a long period of time.
Rosie Browne aged 9 A veteran means to me a brave and special person who fought in the war.
Satwinder Singh aged 11 A person in the navy that fight and uses guns on ships.
Ashley O'Connor aged 10 It means to me that a soldier like captain has responsibility to teach the soldiers all different stuff, getting them ready for the war.
William Wedgwood aged 11 A veteran mean to me a very special because they have shaped my life
Hannah Whitham aged 11 It is a great honour and very important as it shows they fought for our freedom
Phillipa Hay aged 10 Very nice. Because they sometimes gave lives and help people so I think a lot about them
This was the day that we held the Service of Remembrance for the 25th Anniversary of the Falklands Campaign and the official dedication of the Azalea Bed for HMS Antelope (pictures in Summer Newsletter). Because of the bad weather conditions unfortunately the Royal Navy Helicopter could not land and the Royal Naval Historic Fly past by a Sea Hawk, Sea Fury and Fairey Swordfish also had to be cancelled. However, the weather did not stop us holding the official opening of the Imperial War Museum's 'Together' Exhibition by the High Sheriff of Staffordshire and this has proved to be very popular as it shows how the Commonwealth was represented during the two great wars. Just two of the pictures from the exhibition are shown here.
This was a talk given by author Geoff Blore about his experiences as an evacuee during the war. I was not there myself but I believe that this was an extremely interesting and interactive occasion.
Well that turned out to be exhausting with five schools taking part in the day. They were taught how to march and drill and then had fun going round the Arboretum, talking to veterans and looking at the Together Exhibition. Berkswich C.E. (V.C.) Primary School also performed on stage for us and very good they were too. At the end of the day when the Veterans had their march past, lead by West Midlands Regimental Band, the children joined in and loved every second of it. We also had a fly past by a Tornado but although I got a picture of it, it was only a dot in the sky, it went by so fast. Maggie O'Hara, a very talented singer, gave a wonderful performance on stage and I noticed on one occasion that the children were joining in and waving their flags vigorously. 
We had a fabulous show of vintage wartime costumes, male and female, from the Costume Museum and Restoration Workshop in Hope House, Derbyshire presented by Notty Hornblower (bridal & bridesmaid dresses shown here).
I was not at the Arboretum during the day but did don my glad rags (unfortunately no pictures) and go to the ceremony of Beat the Retreat with the Northfield Caledonian Pipes and Drums and to the Dinner in the evening. This was catered and served by the cadets of HMS Raleigh and what a smashing do it was. We did not learn until afterwards that this was part of their passing out exams and was being filmed. I can only speak from my experience and say that they all deserve to pass. The food was excellent and the service second to none. Lt. Colonel Gerome Church, the National Chairman of BLESMA, gave an entertaining and informative speech and the evening ended with a rather nice glass of port. Three cheers for everyone concerned in the evening and I know that Charlie received several letters thanking the Arboretum for an excellent evening. 
The last day was very quiet compared to the rest of the week. Sergeant Simon Cook (pictured below left) gave a very
good recruitment talk to a class of school leavers from Newcastle Community High School and when we learnt that he was actually leaving the army that day, we persuaded him that he should be presented with his Veterans Medal.
Maynard Scott had also asked the teacher of the school leavers, Christopher Gregory (top right) to fill in a form for his Veterans Medal (he didn't look old enough!) but thought he wasn't eligible to receive it. However, later in the day we found that he did qualify (the dates had been extended to 31st December 1994)
and the teenagers thoroughly embarrassed him by asking Maynard to keep it secret and present it to him out of the blue. The day ended with a tea dance with the Harry Farrell Big Band playing the music.
SANDS and the Civil Defence Associations had their annual events on Saturday the 30th of June. Unfortunately I could not be there on that day but I do have a picture of the new gates at the entrance to the SANDS plot and as I know that a lot of work and heart searching went into the design of these I am sure you will agree with me that they have done an excellent job.
On Thursday the 5th of July BLESMA held their annual service and 75th Birthday celebration and one of the highlights of the day was a demonstration by the Red Devils. Everyone was thoroughly enjoying themselves, including the Friends who had lovely golf buggies to drive around all day, what fun! However, these turned out to be a god send in the afternoon as the heavens opened and by the time the day ended we were all soaking wet. I had the honour and privilege to take the veteran who had donated the Oosterbeck Oak (Airborne Division) and his pal, down to see his tree which is thriving very well indeed. Another lovely couple were celebrating their Diamond Wedding that day and a friend who was with them very kindly gave me a piece of the BLESMA Birthday Cake, lovely jubbly!
We are now in the run in to the dedication of the Armed Forces Memorial and its subsequent opening to the public. The Dedication day will be on 12 October and it will be a ticket only event with the majority of tickets going to the families of those who are commemorated on the memorial. If you feel that you might meet the criteria for tickets, please apply through the Armed Forces Memorial website http://www.forcesmemorial.org.uk I know that many of you have already indicated that you are available to assist as Volunteers on the day, for which we are hugely grateful. However, due to the overwhelming response to the Help Forms sent out in the Summer Newsletter for the Official Dedication on the 12th of October, IF YOU DO NOT HEAR DIRECTLY FROM THE ARBORETUM YOUR SERVICES WILL, REGRETTABLY, NOT BE REQUIRED. Please, please do not just 'turn up' you will not get in, security will be extremely tight. 
The AFM itself will be open to the public no later than Monday the 29th of October, it may be earlier depending on the progress of the builders. As a result of this, we can expect large numbers of the public to visit the NMA, particularly over the Remembrance period. A documentary on the creation of the AFM will be shown, probably on the 4th of November, on prime time TV, which will hugely fuel interest. As a result, it is likely that we will run a Park and
Ride system over Remembrance weekend and we really will be relying on all the support you can give us for this period, so please dont desert us in our hour of need! The Remembrance/Armistice Ceremony on 11 November looks like being a fairly simple event, held at the Memorial, although the full details are yet to be agreed.
You will be pleased to note that the Arboretum will only be closed on Christmas Day and open at normal times throughout the rest of the Festive Season.
My Remembrance Day is a unique and personal memorial in the shape of a poppy with each segment representing a month of the year. Choose the date you want to remember a loved one and dedicate an Everlasting Poppy in their memory. This will then be "planted" in the Legion's National Remembrance Garden which is set in the Arboretum on the left hand side of Millennium Avenue. To find out more about this memorial and how to dedicate a Poppy then please either contact the Arboretum direct on 01283-792333 or log onto www.myremembranceday.org.uk.
The 2007 Service 1st Awards Dinner took place on Friday 30th March 2007 at the County Showground, Stafford. Helen attended and to her surprise the Arboretum won three awards. Highly commended for customer care and service for the Arboretum as a whole and two individual awards for Les and Malcolm. The Arboretum is so proud to have received these awards and especially as Les is one of our longest serving volunteers and Malcolm, one of our newest.
December 28th Friday 10.30 am Christmas Walk : This will take place at Chasewater and will be followed by lunch at The Terrace, which is situated between Lichfield and Cannock on the A5. Full details will be sent out nearer the time. A notice will be placed on the board in the Green Room and for those who are not regular attendees at the Arboretum but want to join us then please contact Anne Smith (details at top of newsletter).
2.30 pm Epiphany Service
3.30 pm 'Bring Your Own' Friends' Christmas Party
The recent flooding has caused some problems for trees, some were submerged and shut down photosynthesis. This has given rise to many trees with shrivelled leaves, however, the good news is that some of these have shown signs of recovery with new buds forming. The hares moved to higher ground and the Owls have probably thrived on escaping rodents!
Have a great Autumn!
Anne Smith
Editor
15.9.07