On a wet 5th July 2014 morning members of Broomfield Branch, together with friends from Great Waltham Branch left for a visit to the National Memorial Arboretum; arriving to bright sunshine. The day coincided with the holding of the Royal Artillery Annual Parade.
The Arboretum is a spiritually uplifting place commemorating the fallen. It needs almost £4,000 a day to maintain. There are memorials for still born babies, the police, fire and ambulance services and the Post Office – in addition to those of the Services and a variety of voluntary organisations.
The 308 young soldiers who were shot at dawn have a memorial located in an area where dawn breaks first. The Essex Regiment memorial constructed of white stone was awaiting completion. To view the 150 acre site many members availed themselves of the ‘road train’which takes an hour to tour the site, giving an explantary commentary on the passing scene.
