Category: News

Final litter pick reminder!

Quick reminder. Come along and enjoy a stroll around our magnificent cemetery-hopefully in the sunshine- whilst collecting litter as you walk! We hold our litter picks every quarter and they offer a chance for you to observe wildlife, especially the  extensive bird population, whilst helping to keep this beautiful open space litter free.

Meet by the Lodge on the main drive- 10am on Saturday the 5th September. We advise suitable clothing , footwear and gloves,  but we will provide litter pickers and rubbish bags. Litter Pick events usually last till approx 11.30am

Litter Picks are useful, satisfying and fun.
Litter Picks are useful, satisfying and fun.

Work starts on Chapels

‘Heritage Stone Access’ began work this week to clear shrubbery and re-fix loose and fallen masonry on the chapels, in an effort to slow deterioration pending funding being available to undertake renovation work.

20150825_102629As we all know, money is tight in Birmingham City Council and therefore renovation of the chapels remains some way off.  (The majority of grant applications would demand match funding as a minimum from the site/building owners- BCC)

Bereavements Department are keen, along with the Friends, to try and keep the Chapels from deteriorating further during this lean period so have engaged a reputable company, with a good history of work on heritage buildings, to carry out various works. This includes making the building ‘pigeon proof’. (Large amounts of pigeon poo have already been professionally removed!) Shrubbery has also been sprayed with weed killers and partially removed.

20150825_102629 - CopyThose eagled eyed visitors to the cemetery will have noticed that since the pigeons have been denied access to the buildings they have taken to roosting on the tower and creating quite a mess! Whilst on site the contractors will also be re-fixing masonry that has fallen (as seen across). We all watch with interest.

Kings Heath History Group visit Brandwood End.

This photograph was taken on Saturday 20th June at the end of a most interesting and absorbing KH History Group summer field trip to Brandwood End Cemetery led by Pat Franklin (A member of FBEC) who generously gave her time to talk to the members about the history of the Cemetery and show them some of the WW1 graves and memorials that Brandwood contains.

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Hedge cut for another season…..

Several members of FBEC answered our call for help as we brought the hedge in the Civilian Garden of Remembrance back in line!

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20150614_111804Several of our members turned up, shears in hand, to help trim the hawthorn hedge that surrounds the garden.

 

 

 

Luckily the weather was in our favour and we managed to do a bit of weeding as well!

 

 

 

Our thanks to everyone who gave up their morning and I think we all agree that the Civilian Garden is looking really good at the moment.

A brief mention to the ladies that take it in turns to weed the beds and paths. Their efforts are obvious!

Damaging shrubbery to be removed.

Following a meeting with Bereavement Services Managers we understand that efforts are being made to find funds to remove the damaging shrubbery that seems to reappear on the brickwork of the Chapels. This is always a costly operation as it requires special equipment but it is hoped that it will, yet again, improve the appearance of the building and prevent further damage whilst we wait till restoration funding becomes more readily available.

20150414_145437 (800x572)20150414_145441 (800x578)The concept of a bespoke fence to surround the chapel area, rather than the existing  ‘builders fence’,  is being investigated as a measure to improve the overall appearance of this area when entering the cemetery.

 

 

 

Bereavement Services site staff are now cutting the grass surrounding the Chapel buildings and clearing weeds on pathways.

They are also involved in removing Ivy from graves, a project FBEC hope to continue to be involved in.

Completed WW1 memorial area.

The Great War memorial bench has now been re sited close to the new memorial (on the old Oak Tree Island). It has been joined by an interpretation lectern explaining the part that Birmingham played during the Great war.

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The bench is now clear of over hanging trees and less likely to be damaged by bird droppings.

 

 

 

 

 

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The small area of Commonwealth War Graves, recently hedged by FBEC and St Albans pupils, has been planted with Primula Vulgaris and is looking especially good.

Update on ‘From Brownhills to Brandwood’

Those of you that follow our blog may remember some time ago that Barrie Simpson (FBEC Committee member) was assisting Paul Ford from Wyrleyblog to try and trace the grave of a WW1 servicemen, Thomas James. After a long search Barrie was able to inform Paul that a grave had been located!

With Paul’s permission The Friends contacted the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Barrie, as well as being a member of The Friends committee, is also a CWGC Volunteer and, under the ‘Adopt a Grave’ scheme , he has adopted all 200+ CWGC graves and was most anxious to assist Paul’s splendid research. It was hoped that the end result might be the erection of a CWGC headstone for this Coal Miner from Great Wryley.

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The evidence was duly submitted, by Barrie, to the Ministry of Defence for consideration by the ‘War Grave Adjudication Team’. The response below has now been received.

‘Dear Mr Simpson,
We have recently been instructed by the relevant Service Authority that Private Thomas William James qualifies for commemoration as a Commonwealth war casualty.’

Barrie adds that:
‘Now, I move on to the next phase of pestering the City Bereavements Department to provide with me the letter that there is no known owner of the grave so I can begin the final phase to get a CWGC headstone erected on Thomas’ grave before November 2015.’ His grave will be recognised, along with 200+ others, by the Friends and the placing of a Poppy Cross in November 2015.

Both Paul Ford (Wyrleyblog) and Barrie Simpson (FBEC) spent many hours of work on this search and there is a very interesting article detailing this- to be found via this link

 

Vistas opening up!

As mentioned in the article below, the clearance of ‘self set’ trees growing on, or close to graves has now started. If you are familiar with the cemetery you can see, from the photographs below, what a difference it will make.  Many graves that have been hidden for years have been exposed and the view across the section has now been opened up. This work will also mean that the tree lined avenues will now appear more defined.

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If you look carefully in the photograph you will see the size of some of the felled trees that have obscured (piled to the right) both graves and views. None of the felled trees were part of the original planting.

 

 

 

This open view across the cemetery hasn’t been seen for many years.

Hopefully this will also mean that family members may be able to trace graves they thought were lost forever, and consider their restoration.