[Just a heads up - I make no apology for this being a fairly straight-up post]
A couple of weeks ago we were lucky enough to have the full Battle of Britain Memorial Flypast over our village. Seeing the iconic Lancaster, Hurricane, Spitfire and Dakota flying within a few hundred feet of our house was a truly awe inspiring experience. (Note to self - future videos need to be landscape!!). I had heard on a recent radio show (infinite monkey cage again), that modern burns medicine only exists as a result of Lancaster pilots and the things they had to endure - and watching this 70 year old plane fly over really made me start to reflect on how lucky I/we currently are.
Partly off the back of this, and partly because it is near 'Nanna'craft's house, we decided to take the girls to the National Memorial Arboretum near Tamworth. We had always been a bit wary of visiting due to the risk of the girls not really understanding the need to be respectful but we figured we'd give it a chance...
...and we were right to do so.
As you start walking through the memorials, you have an instant sense of the power and importance of the site. The central Armed Forces Memorial dominates the view and rightly draws you in to the space dedicated to all those who have lost their lives.
For the two year old, these areas were a nice space to stretch her legs (quietly). For the four year old, we were able to have more meaningful conversations than I expected about what the memorials were for - linking it to family members who have been in the forces. She also understood the link between the RAF memorials and the planes we had seen over the house weeks before.
Emotionally, it is obviously a very moving site. But, the area which really focussed my mind was what I thought was a memorial solely dedicated to evacuee children. A large sculpture lined with children in their caps, carrying their belongings (which completely coincidentally was a dressing up Christmas present for the 4yr old), stands next to a wooden assault course - which both girls unsurprisingly charged towards.
It was only whilst watching the girls playing that I noticed more memorial plaques next to the trees around the play area. These plaques were all dedicated to children who had lost their lives at extremely young ages, some years, weeks, even days old. Behind the play area is a beautiful installation from Edward's Trust filled with named, dedicated copper leaves.
Stood among these memorials, watching my own girls playing made me more grateful than I have ever been for what we have. I think I also began to recognise the real power of the whole Arboretum - both remembering what there has been and appreciating what we have.
[Just to finished with a few parenting logistical points -
The cafe is great - loads of space and good value.
There is an excellent sensory play area near the main visitor centre.
The POW exhibition building is worth checking before taking younger children in.]
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