On Thursday 30th October 2025, our guest speaker was Peter Hardy, a longstanding volunteer at the National Memorial Arboretum. The Arboretum is a site of national remembrance located in Alrewas, Staffordshire. Its objective is to honour the fallen, and to recognise service and sacrifice. After undergoing a large scale regeneration project, the Arboretum's Remembrance Centre was officially opened by the Duke of Cambridge in 2017. It features three exhibition galleries, and a courtyard with a garden.
The idea for the arboretum was conceived by Commander David Childs, CBE, in 1988, who wished to establish a national focus to those who had died giving service to their country. An appeal was launched in 1994 by Prime Minister, John Major. The project began with no money, no land, no staff and no trees. The National Lottery granted some forty per cent of the funds needed, which were matched by donations. Planting began in 1997, and was the Arboretum was officially opened on 16 May 2001 as a Registered Charity.
The arboretum contains more than 25,000 trees and more than 400 memorials. The largest section is the Armed Forces Memorial, at the heart of the Arboretum, which is a tribute to over 16,000 service personnel who have lost their lives in conflict or terrorism since the end of the Second World War.
The main Memorials on site are: Armed Forces Memorial; Association of Jewish Ex-Service Men and Women; Berlin Airlift Monument; Boys Brigade; Burma Railway; Christmas Truce Memorial; Commandos; Navy Memorial; Polish Men and Women; RNLI; Shot at Dawn; and Polar Bear Memorial. The Polar Bear Association Memorial was the first monument and sculpture to be erected on the site. It is a tribute to the 49th Infantry, West Riding Division. In the Second World War the Infantry was stationed in Iceland and after the men were snowed-in under 20 feet, they became known as the Polar Bears.
Many thanks to Peter Hardy for a very interesting presentation, which was enjoyed by all.
