National Memorial Arboretum: Launch of World War One 'discovery trails'
- Published
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Three World War One Trails have opened at a national memorial site to mark the centenary of the conflict. The trails are to help visitors navigate some of the key sites at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.
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In total the arboretum, which opened in 2001, has about 300 memorials. Among the 26 memorials that feature on the trails is one dedicated to the Durham Light Infantry, who were nicknamed the Dirty Little Imps.
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Staffordshire sculptor and Quaker, Rosemary Barnett, was commissioned to design a work for The Quaker Service Memorial Trust, which visitors can see on the trails.
One of the three trails - the Poppy Field Trail - will take visitors though some of the arboretum's woodland avenues and alongside the River Tame.
The arboretum includes memorials dedicated to individuals who served in the war, such as Lance Corporal William Harold Coltman from the North Staffordshire Regiment. He became the most decorated British Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) of the war.
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The arboretum functions as a large-scale garden of remembrance. Its memorials are hugely varied and are dedicated to civilians, as well as those who have served in conflict.
Sarah Montgomery, the arboretum's managing director, said: "We are sure people will be captivated by the stories behind the trees and memorials which link them to this incredible period in history."
- Published23 March 2014
