Arboretum welcomes new Falkland memorial as works finish

Works to complete a £45,000 memorial to the Falkland Islanders Resistance has been completed after years of work.

The ground is maintained by the Allied Special Forces Memorial Grove

The memorial, located in the Allied Special Forces Memorial Grove at the National Memorial Arboretum, in Burton-on-Trent, was completed on Sunday, ending two years of work.

The memorial, which is dedicated to the Falkland Islanders who helped British Special Forces during their operations in the 1982 Falklands War, is filled with flowers, art pieces and commemorative plates to help recognise their sacrifice.

Sculptures in garden were created by specially for the Falkland Islanders Resistance Memorial

The garden features around three acres of land utilised for the memorial

placards have been put into place to remember specific people and events during the war

Mike Colton, 76, from Kings Bromley, founder of the Allied Special Forces Memorial Grove, said: "This is a fantastic space, the pictures really don't do it justice. The gardens around it are smashing as well.

"We created this memorial to the civilians of the Falkland Islands who didn't get enough recognition for what they did before our forces landed on the island, and what they still do now for our troops who go back."

The memorial was fully funded by the Allied Special Forces Memorial Grove, separate from the National Memorial Arboretum, with aid from the Falkland government, who match funded the group's donation of £22,680.

Mr Colton continued: "The overall grove has been going on for about 20 years, this project took us two years of work. We also received match funding from the Falkland government.

"The Falklanders really did play a huge part for our troops. The Falklanders actually helped in transporting soldiers on their tractors and trailers, all while under fire. They really did play a huge part for our troops. This is for all the civilians."

The garden also holds placards detailing the achievements of individual members of the Falklands Islands and placeholders describing significant moments of the war.

The National Memorial Arboretum is free to visit every day between 10am and 5pm, with the Falkland Islands Resistance Memorial also being available to visit.

More information on the memorial gardens can be found on the organisation's website alliedspecialforcesmemorialgrove.org/civilians/

Alternatively, more information can be found on the National Memorial Arboretum website thenma.org.uk/