Category: Information

Lots to look forward to !

Winter is a quiet time in Brandwood End but the Friends have been working away in the background on a number of projects.

We are creating a number of ‘Trail sheets’ that will cover Heritage items, trees, interesting graves, fascinating memorials, quiet corners to rest and take in the wildlife and trees plus measured routes to stroll, with distances and surface types to encourage the less able to enjoy them as well.

The sheet below, kindly produced by committee member Lisa Fair, highlights some of the cemetery heritage- both historical and ecological.

Civilian Garden in the spotlight.

Today we were able to tell the story of the Civilian Garden of Remembrance and those that lie within.

Many of our visitors today had no  idea that  this peaceful area of reflection existed and certainly knew nothing of those buried within.

 

With the help of Matt Felkin and his wealth of knowledge,  we were able to answer many questions about Civilian casualties and local areas that received bomb damage.

Our thanks again to everyone that helped us deliver this Heritage Event and those who took the time to visit us, especially in this strange time of public mourning.

Avoid the risk of Fires in Brandwood End.

Just a timely reminder that, as was recently seen in a cemetery down south, cemeteries are not immune to raging fires in this heat.  Brandwood End is tinder dry.  Broken glass and shiny objects can concentrate the sun and start fires in this heat.  Please take care what you leave near/on your family grave. An empty/broken glass object can be enough to start a fire .

We have noticed the occasional candle in a jar- please dont do this! Animals knock them over. Normally just a broken jar ensues, but at the moment this could cause a serious fire threatening not just the beautiful cemetery but nearby properties.

Please think before you leave any reflective item at this time.  Take care and Thankyou.

Only woman with a Commonwealth War Grave in Brandwood End.

We have over 200 Commonwealth War Graves in Brandwood End but only one of them is remembering a woman. CORPORAL MARY EMILY STEVENS DIED IN 1944 AGED JUST 25. Follow the link to discover more about Mary and also the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) 1939 – 1949.

FBEC – CORPORAL MARY EMILY STEVENS.pdf

Our thanks To David Harop for the photograph of Mary. During our research we are often able to contact relatives  and  other researchers who kindly share information with us. We also work closely with several local History Groups and individuals who have researched War Graves.

Mary’s grave will be one of the 350+ graves that will receive a Poppy Cross prior to Remembrance Sunday in a project undertaken annual by the Friends and their supporters.

Politics is in the news!

All things political seem to be on the agenda at this time so we thought we would highlight a local politician buried in Brandwood End.  His name is probably not known to many but if you read on you may remember ELDRED HARRIS  in future.

FBEC – ELDRED HALLAS MP

Our thanks to our member and  Historian, Pat Franklin  for her input to this article.

FBEC are sharing this historical research as part of National Cemeteries week.

Memorial Recording restarts in Brandwood End.

Come along and help record the inscriptions on the headstones in Brandwood End. You can also learn what they really mean and how word styles have changed over the years.

Dates are now available for the whole of the summer but you do need to book a place as numbers are restricted. Once you take part in this event, organised by Caring for Gods Acre, you will want to come again.

These sessions are free, just book your place here.

 

 

Please avoid driving on the verges!

You can see, from the photograph above, that driving on the verges causes lots of often irreversible damage. There is no excuse! We know the avenues are narrow but the whole road system is a grid. If there is a parked car just use the next avenue and approach from the other end…..or reverse!  If this continues then restricted vehicle access to these side avenues may be the only answer available to Bereavement staff to prevent such mindless damage, and no one wants that.

Memorial/Headstone testing.

Safety tests have been undertaken on monuments in B8 and B10. Some headstones tested are deemed unsafe so Bereavements may be trying to contact grave owners. DO THEY HAVE YOUR CORRECT ADDRESS? Please try and visit to check your relatives grave if it is in those areas and make sure Bereavement Services at Kings Norton are aware if you have moved. These are quite old burial sections so some grave sites may have no living relatives. Graves that have been deemed in need of action have been ‘blue’ taped and attached to posts. Ultimately these headstones will be laid flat to avoid damage to them and unsuspecting passers- by unless grave owners rectify the situation.  If you think your details are out of date you can e mail your present address to : brandwood.endcem@birmingham.gov.uk 

Remember to include the grave number off your deeds!