Royal British Legion opens Field of Remembrance at National Memorial Arboretum

A field of remembrance has been opened by the Royal British Legion at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.

A bugler opened the field, just one of the six fields of remembrance from the Royal British Legion, alongside a soldier who read a poem from his time in Afghanistan.

Guests at the arboretum studied the 10,000 crosses planted in the field – each one dedicated to the men and women who served.  

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Many were searching for the crosses they had sent in.

One couple visiting the Field of Remembrance told BFBS Forces News they were looking for one of their grandfathers, who died during the First World War.

"He was wounded and he was in a casualty clearing station," she explained.

"He died on 2 October 1917."

Another visitor, a veteran of the Sherwood Foresters, now part of the Mercian Regiment, said after serving two years of National Service, he was visiting to "honour all the Foresters".

"All the people with all the crosses here, they gave so much," he said.

"And we should be honoured that we're here."

Phillippa Rawlinson, the Director for Remembrance, said it’s important to mark the many faiths that served.

"The diversity of tributes recognises the diversity of faiths that make up our country today," she said.

"The team were telling me by the time the field closes on 14 November, we expect to have close to 15,000 tributes.

"Each tribute is someone’s memory of a loved one that lost their lives in service of our country, someone that served in our Armed Forces."