The Armed Forces Memorial

is the first national memorial dedicated to the men and women of the United Kingdom Armed Forces (Regular and Reserve) killed on duty or as a result of terrorist action since the Second World War. 

The start date is 1 January 1948, which follows on directly from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission which commemorates those who died up to 31 December 1947.  The one exception is for those killed in Palestine who are included on the Memorial. 
 
The Dedication Ceremony 
The ceremony to dedicate the Armed Forces Memorial was held at The National Memorial Arboretum, Alrewas, Staffordshire DE13 7AR on Friday 12 October 2007. The ceremony was attended by HM The Queen, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, HRH The Prince of Wales and HRH The Duchess of Cornwall.  The service of dedication was led by HG The Archbishop of Canterbury.  The event was attended by 2,500 people many of whom were the families and friends of those whose names are engraved on the Memorial.
 

The Memorial re-opened to the public on 29 October.  Since that date, it has been visited by thousands of people, and been used for a number of events, including the Remembrance Sunday service on 11th November 2007.

 
The photo gallery contains images of the events.
 
For information about opening times and directions for travel please see Information For Visitors.
 
 

Project Progress

The photo gallery contains images which illustrate the construction of the Memorial.

Information For Visitors

The National Memorial Arboretum is located on Croxall Road, Alrewas, near Lichfield in Staffordshire. The postcode is DE13 7AR.
 
By Car: M1 (southbound) - exit at Junction 28 and take the A38 south bypassing Derby and Burton or exit at Junction 24 and take the A50 west until you reach the A38 south.
 
M1 (northbound) - exit onto M6 north and exit M6 at Junction 4 taking the A446 north until it joins the M42 north - exit at Tamworth and take the A5 west until you reach the A38 Derby/Burton exit.
 

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M6 (southbound) - exit at Junction 12 and take the A5 south until you reach A38 exit.
 
M54 (eastbound) - exit at Junction 1 and take A460 towards Cannock passing over M6, continue towards Cannock - turn right onto A5 south and then leave A5 at A38 Burton/Derby exit.
 
For cyclists: National Cycle Route 54 runs from Lichfield to Burton on Trent through Alrewas. Leave the route at the crossing of the A513 and turn towards Tamworth. This gives a safe crossing of the A38 and a well signposted route of about a mile to the Arboretum.
 
Travelling by Train: The nearest railway stations are Lichfield Trent Valley and Lichfield City. Tamworth and Burton are also close by. The Arboretum is within a 15/20 minute taxi journey from any of these stations.
 
Opening Times
The Armed Forces Memorial will be open every day except Christmas Day from 9 in the morning until 5 in the evening.

FUNDRAISING PROGRESS - LATEST


Please help us to raise the final £2.5million needed to ensure that the Memorial can be maintained in pristine condition.  Progress against the remaining target is shown on the fundraising page.