Come and help clear graves.
Category: Friends of Brandwood End Cemetery
Nat West Staff battle the rain.
Last week we had to cancel the visit from Nat West Staff to help clear graves. As you all may remember, we were suffering from heavy rain and storm conditions -so we were concerned when it appeared things were going the same way with their replacement visit today! We needn’t have worried as three of their staff turned up undaunted and made amazing inroads into clearing the front of Section 8.
I think the difference is evident from the photographs above.? Thank you ladies and thanks to the FBEC volunteers that organised the day.
Open event in Civilian Garden
September was an unusually busy month for FBEC with the inclusion of two ‘main’ events for us. We have featured the unveiling of our new Memorial stone but we also had an Open Event for Heritage and were able to tell visitors the stories behind the names on the Memorial.
We were very pleased to welcome the new local Selly Oak MP and Minister for Veterans. Al Carns. He was very interested in the records showing the sites of bomb damage and relating to the deaths of those listed on the new Memorial.
Our thanks to all those interested people who called in to chat.
WHO LIES BENEATH?
Come along to the Civilian Garden of Remembrance this Saturday, 14th,between 11am and 2pm to hear the stories behind the names on our new Memorial.
Matt Felkin will be there with all his air raid records and maps. Not to be missed if you are interested in the impact WW2 had on civilians.
NIQ Volunteers make inroads into Section 8
This is the first time that NIQ have been on site with the Friends and we hope they will return again as they all worked very hard……..and we are pretty sure they all enjoyed themselves! The area that they were working in had a section almost completely covered with large shrubs but NIQ staff worked hard and changed the end of the section completely.
Ian Binnie’s ‘Walk and Talk’
Seventeen members of the public joined Ian Binnie on a fascinating walk around the cemetery to visit nine military graves, all of whom died in 1944. It was interesting to learn that several of them had been killed in accidents and not on active service.
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.
Grave Gardeners/Shrubbery clearance events.
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.
friendsofbec@gmail.com
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?
