Tulips planted to honour WW2 airborne forces

Heroes Commemorative Orchard planting with Ian Chick and Wyndham Park volunteer Elizabeth Bowskill

An international memorial trail to honour airborne forces is coming to Lincolnshire to mark the anniversary of a World War Two battle.

Tulip bulbs have been planted in Grantham’s Heroes Commemorative Orchard, with more going into the town’s parks and churchyards.

The flowers will match the colour of the distinctive maroon beret worn by British airborne forces.

Free bulbs are being offered to schools, parish councils and people with family links to airborne forces as part of South Kesteven District Council's (SKDC) Soldiers in the Sky project.

The British 1st Airborne Division flew from airfields at Barkston Heath and Saltby to take part in Operation Market Garden during the Battle of Arnhem in September 1944.

Darren Kaye, from Cheshire, whose grandfather fought at Arnhem, started the memorial trail in the Netherlands.

The memorials have taken root in the UK at the Royal Chelsea Hospital, Merville Barracks in Colchester and the National Arboretum.

The project is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Councillor Rhea Rayside, SKDC cabinet member for people and communities, said: "It’s a wonderful tribute and we are grateful to National Lottery players who have enabled us to carpet South Kesteven with these beautiful flowers.

"We look forward to creating this living memorial to remember and commemorate the bravery and sacrifice of so many."

"These tulips will add their own colour to a story forever linked to South Kesteven," Councillor Dixon Warren added.

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