Category: Community

New Memorial unveiled by Dr Carl Chinn.

All our work came good today as Dr Carl Chinn unveiled our Memorial in the Civilian Garden of Remembrance. Now the names of those buried in this area can be read by visitors. We were also pleased to welcome Councillors John Cotton and David Barker as well as Brian Wright and Matt Felkin representing BARRA accompanied by 4 Standard Bearers. Several of our volunteers joined us, as well as representatives of local history groups and FBEC committee members.

       

 

The Memorial is now on view in The Civilian Garden of Remembrance and on Saturday the 14th we will be there to give visitors more information about the people whose names are displayed.

 

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HERITAGE WEEK BEGINS IN BRANDWOOD END

Take part in some of the Heritage Open  events in Brandwood End Cemetery. Add them to your diary now…

  • WEDNESDAY 11TH SEPTEMBER 2024- 2PM Join Ian Binnie as he takes you on a Tour of the memorials to those killed in 1944. (The 80th anniversary of D Day and other crucial battles). Ian will present biographies of several men and women who served and died and are buried in Brandwood End. There is no need to book this event. (THE TOUR WILL LAST APPROX. ONE HOUR. MEET BY THE LODGE, ON THE MAIN DRIVE. )
  • THURSDAY 12TH SEPTEMBER AT 7.30PM ‘Over by Christmas 1944’ A ZOOM event. To receive a ZOOM link please e mail Ian Binnie on warwickfus@btinternet.com
  • SATURDAY 14TH SEPTEMBER 11AM TILL 2 PM Who Lies Beneath? Join the Friends for an open event in the Civilian Garden of Remembrance (in Section 33) to learn more about those bombing victims buried in this communal peaceful space and see our recently installed Memorial stone carrying their names. We will be joined by local WW2 Air Raid and BARRA Historian, Matt Felkin, who will happily share his records and knowledge with visitors.

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Access to graves improved in Section 7

Bereavements and the Friends have received requests from visiting families for low hanging branches to be lifted, in Section 7, as they are making access to graves difficult.

Both Bereavements staff and ourselves had a look and agreed that something needed to be done. The Cemetery Superintendent, knowing we had a Grave Gardeners session, asked if we would be happy to tackle the problem so 4 of our team set to and removed the lower 8 feet of hanging branches.  All looking good for now. Maybe further action needed in 2025?

 

Damaged Sunflowers.

Spotted today, flowers having their heads removed by a squirrel! BUT either squirrels or Magpies have sunk to an all time low…..
They have ripped a crochet sunflower head off Valerie Smith’s lovely Lodge path screen. As well as the head, a whole Sunflower has been removed. We are pretty sure it’s animal/bird interference but as a result Valerie has removed the whole display. So much time and work goes into these displays and they make visitors smile. Hopefully it hasn’t put Valerie off forever but it must feel ‘personal’ ….  even if the villains are not human !

Who Lies Beneath?

‘WHO LIES BENEATH? If you recognise any of the unusual surnames below then just maybe one of your family relatives was a victim of the bombing in WW2 and buried within our Civilian Garden of Remembrance. Come along to the Garden between 11am and 2pm on Saturday 14th September to find out more.
Battista, Bramham, Courtnell, Everitt, Granner, Hollyoake, Lovedee, Shamsudi and many more. There are over 50 whose names we know but sadly- quite a few we don’t.
If you know you have family buried in this beautiful Civilian Garden we would love to know more about them if you feel you can share.

Lots of events ahead in Brandwood End Cemetery.

UP AND COMING DATES IN THE FBEC DIARY WHERE WE WELCOME YOUR SUPPORT

  • SATURDAY 7TH SEPTEMBER. Litter Pick 10am-11.30am Meet opposite the Lodge on the main Drive.
  • WEDNESDAY 11TH SEPTEMBER As part of Heritage Open Week, Ian Binnie will lead a free walk around 8 graves of those killed in 1944 and from the Kings Heath area. Meet by the Lodge at 2pm
  • SATURDAY 14TH SEPTEMBER ‘Who lies beneath? The Friends Open Day. As part of Heritage Open Week we will be giving visitors an insight into who is buried in the Civilian Garden and how they came to be there. See Notice boards and Social Media.11am-2pm in the Civilian Garden of Remembrance
  • SATURDAY 12TH OCTOBER, Grave Gardeners Session 11am-2pm, Meet by the Lodge. It is also the start of the Poppy Placing Project prior to Remembrance. If you want to be involved in the Poppy Placing then please e mail us at friendsofbec@gmail.com
  • SATURDAY 9TH NOVEMBER Grave Gardeners Session 11am-2pm meet by the Cross of Sacrifice
  • SUNDAY 10TH NOVEMBER 45AM Annual Service of Remembrance at the Cross of Sacrifice.
  • SUNDAY 1ST DECEMBER Litter Pick 10am-11.30am meet opposite the Lodge on the main drive.
  • SATURDAY 14TH DECEMBER Grave Gardeners Session 11am-2pm Meet by the Lodge

The Friends will have been working in the cemetery for 20 years on the 21stJuly 2025. We will be organising all the above events but also undertaking many other cemetery projects alongside. If you would like to get involved in helping with our research or keeping the cemetery to look cared for then contact us at friendsofbec@gmail.com      or come along to one of our sessions.

HSBC spend a day in Brandwood End

As a small charity, the Friends depend on our supporters to help us with many of the projects we undertake. As those that follow FBEC will know, we are undertaking a long term Grave Gardening project to remove self set shrubs, Holly and Ivy from graves. We run regular volunteer sessions and members of the Friends also work in pairs on site when they can but without corporate groups to support us everything would take much more time.

                               

Today we were joined by a team from HSBC in Birmingham. They spent all day on site working hard clearing two sections B4 CE and B6CE and you can see the finished effect above right.

This was just one of 4 large piles of leaves, sticks, weeds, self set shrubs and small trees that the team removed during the course of the day. By the time we left, the whole of B4 and B6 were looking far more ‘open’ and cared for. Thank you to all the volunteers from HSBC who worked really hard but were a joy to work alongside. Here’s  to the next time !! A special thankyou to Anita for organising the HSBC side.