Category: Remembrance

Heritage Open Event – A Great Success!

The sun shone through the trees during our Heritage Open Event held on Sunday to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the first world war and to remember all those involved.

This was the first time that Brandwood End Cemetery had featured in an Heritage Open Day event and we all agreed it had been a worthwhile experience.  Dawn and her team from Birmingham Bereavement Services worked with the Friends of Brandwood End Cemetery to provide lots of interesting displays of memorabilia – and perhaps more importantly, tea and cakes!

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Doug Smith, ably assisted by his team, read short monologues of soldiers experiences and members of ‘Troop Aid’ raised over £100 for their very worthwhile cause.

The Friends  lead three successful  walks covering  a small number of graves significant in ww1, as well as chatting to members of the public who took the opportunity to come along and ‘show and tell’ their family items of ww1 memorabilia.

Our thanks to everyone who worked hard to make this a success IMG_7502 (800x590)and especially the members of the public who fitted our event in with so many others in the area today.

We met many new friends in the cemetery today and hope they will keep in touch with us via this web site.

A reminder that our Remembrance Service will take place at the Cross of Sacrifice on Sunday November 9th starting at 10.50am.

Lord Mayor joins local school at Veolia sponsored event in cemetery

We wish we could say that the sun shone today as it has done for the last week- but it didn’t. That didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of pupils from St Alban’s RC Primary School who came along to the cemetery to help plant hawthorn whips around a Commonwealth War Graves Commission burial area. Brandwood End is home to over 300 war graves but there is only one small area where graves lie in rows on a specially maintained area of grassland. This area is now enclosed by a new hawthorn hedge.IMG_6712

We were pleased to welcome lots of visitors to the site as well as the pupils. Representatives of Veolia Environmental Services, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, New Vision, Bereavement Services, Quadron Contractors and local residents were joined by the Lord Mayor and the Lady Mayoress.

Following a busy morning planting they all enjoyed refreshments and a chance to talk to the Lord Mayor about his role and his regalia.

IMG_6705 (800x600) IMG_6717 (800x600) Well done!

 

Poppy Cross Cemetery removed.

Today, during our litter pick, FBEC removed all 300+ poppy crosses laid out in our annually created ‘poppy cross cemetery’.

Following a request from Bereavements we have removed the crosses in the Public Grave area in readiness for grass cutting to start in the spring.

Litter pick March 2014 (4) (800x600)Every year our Vice Chairman, Barrie Simpson, and helpers create a grid of poppy crosses in the hope that it will help people to understand the large numbers of war graves within Brandwood End Cemetery. They also place poppy crosses on every war grave and these will remain in place until November 2015 unless removed by next of kin.

FBEC and Chris Gascoigne of S.Gascoine and Sons sponsored our crosses by donation to the British Legion.

A date for your diary! Tuesday March 18th.

 Many of the regular visitors to Brandwood End Cemetery are aware of the large number of Military Graves that lie within (Over 350).  Following Remembrance Sunday each year these graves are even more identifiable as the Friends place ‘Poppy Crosses’ on every grave. Most of these graves are scattered throughout the cemetery but what most people do not realise is that we have a small Military section.   The area surrounding this section has, over time, lost its defined boundary so with the help of funding from Veolia, the Friends will be planting a new boundary hedge of native hawthorn.

a_section_33_militaryAt 10.30am on the morning of Tuesday March 18th the Friends will be joined on site by The Lord Mayor and the Lady Mayoress, children from St Albans RC Primary School, and staff from Bereavements Services and Quadron  Services who will be working together to plant 350 hawthorn shrubs to redefine this boundary.

The Friends and Bereavements staff have met on site with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to agree the design and size of this hedge as their requirements are quite specific. Please come along, with your spade, if you would like to help.

 

Stunning setting for a poignant Remembrance Sunday service

IMG_6460 (800x600) (3)Community members and local Councillors joined the Friends of Brandwood End Cemetery in an Act of Remembrance at the Cross of Sacrifice in Brandwood End Cemetery.

The Deacon of St Dunstans Church, David Fairbotham, led a short but poignant service.  Following this wreaths were laid on behalf of Birmingham City Council and its Citizens, Kings Heath Branch of The Masons and the Friends of Brandwood End Cemetery.

photo mix copy (2) (800x533)This year we had not one but two buglers who performed the Last Post beautifully.  Two minutes silence was observed and this, along with the buglers, brought tears to the eyes of many of the people attending.

Many of the visitors stopped behind to ask about the cemetery and the work the Friends are doing.

Act of Remembrance within Brandwood End Cemetery

Remembrance Service at Brandwood End Cemetery

You are invited to join Friends of Brandwood End Cemetery in a short Act of Remembrance in Brandwood End Cemetery on Sunday 10th November 2013.

Please meet at the Cross of Sacrifice on the main drive at 10.45am  for a brief address by David Fairbotham, Deacon of St Dunstans Church, Kings Heath followed by 2 minutes silence at 11am and the laying of wreaths by Councillor Barry Henley and other local organisations.

Please note that there will be no access along the main drive from the Chapels to the Broad Lane gate from 10.45 to 11.15 whilst the Service is taking place. All other roads within the cemetery remain open. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

 

Hedge gets first serious cut!

Those of you that follow this blog will know that just over a year ago pupils from St Albans Catholic Primary School joined Friends and volunteers to replace an ailing hedge around the Civilian Garden of Remembrance with a new hawthorn hedge.This peaceful area had been abandoned for many years until The Friends, with lottery support, restored it to a restful place to sit and enjoy. Initially we had surrounded the area with a beech hedge but the soil, being clay and waterlogged much of the year, did not support this species, so a major plan was put in place to replace it with a more tolerant hawthorn hedge.

20130811_15403020130811_154043This hedge has thrived and grown and had begun to look unruly, despite occasional trimming, so this weekend it had its first serious ‘cut’ and we are pleased to say it looks fantastic. This will only be its second winter coming up and already it is starting to look like a well established hedge.  I think you will agree from the photo’s above that the area looks inviting and is well cared for volunteers from FBEC.

If you feel you could help us at all with this ongoing task of weeding etc please contact us via our web site. Many hands make light work and there is always something to do.

 

Remembrance Day in Brandwood End

Councillor Barry Henley, on behalf of Birmingham City Council, joined Brian Rai of FBEC to lay wreaths at the Cross of Sacrifice in Brandwood End Cemetery. This year our Remembrance Sunday event actually fell on the 11th of November and our short ceremony took place at 11am to include a 2 minutes silence. They were joined by a number of members of the public and members of the Friends.

Can we draw your attention to over 300 poppy crosses placed in the grassland area near the Cross of Sacrifice which represent members of the Armed Forces who  lost their lives and are buried within Brandwood End Cemetery.