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1) Exclusive guided Commando Battlefield Tour of Northern Tunisia in 2011. 2) Four 1942 pre-production designs of the Combined Ops Badge printed in colour on A4 Buckram cloth sheets. Both in aid of the Combined Operations Memorial Fund.

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 ~ COMBINED OPERATIONS MEMORIAL ~

PHOTOS, PROGRESS REPORTS & FUTURE PLANS

Dedication Ceremony Photo Gallery Progress Reports About the Memorial   (New Page) Memorial Fund    (New Page)

Dedication Ceremony

Based on information presently available (Dec 2011), the earliest date for the dedication ceremony will be the autumn of 2012 with the spring/summer of 2013 as an equally probable alternative. We'll keep this page up to date but there's unlikely to be anything substantive to report before Easter of 2012. If you wish to keep yourself informed please bookmark this page or add it to your favourites for ease of access.

Photo Gallery (Latest photos uppermost)

The memorial site is clearly visible on Google Earth. 'Fly to' Alrewas. You'll find the memorial site 3 or 4 cms to your right. Fine tune using references 52 43 52 27 N and 1 43 21 62 E. There have been many changes and improvements to the Arboretum since the Google images were taken in 2003. [Photos 1 and 2 kindly provided by Simon Roberts of Beautiful Gardens and 15 to 20 by Richard Stimpson.]

19. The spearhead shape becomes clear..... 20. .....as all the edging strips are concreted in place.    
16. Memorial from spearhead shaft with dedication stone in centre. 17. The edging strips are embedded in concrete. 18. Excavated soil is recycled to landscape the surrounding area.
13. Setting the 3 standing stones in quick setting concrete. 14. Work done for the day. 15. Information stone and stone tiles for spearhead shaft in foreground.
10. Holes dug. 11. Dedication stone at the spearhead tip placed in position. 12. 2nd stone is lowered into the ground.
7. Work continues in the rain with Armed Forces Memorial in the far background. 8. Site is now ready for work to begin. 9. Site is cordoned off as digging foundation holes begins.
4. 1.5t of rocks were generously donated by David Bonnar of the Clachan Quarry. 5. 250,000 personnel were trained in amphibious landings on nearby training beaches. 6. Unloading the stones at the memorial site after a journey of 400 miles.
1. Memorial site looking east along the River Tame. A tranquil setting on a nice day. 2. Site looking west. The Arboretum's road network is moving into the area. 3. Clachan Quarry, Loch Fyne. Hand picking rocks for the wall bearing the 1m wide badge mosaic.

Progress Reports

14/02/12 The edging strips are concreted in place permitting us to clearly see the spearhead shape of the memorial for the first time.
21/11/11 The 3 standing stones were placed in pre-prepared holes and concreted in. Work was halted after two days when the access roadway near the memorial site was deemed unfit for very heavy goods vehicles. Work will resume in the spring when improved ground conditions permit access.
20/10/11 Memorial Site Marked Out. Position and orientation of memorial plot marked out and temporary information sign erected.
14/10/11 Beautiful Gardens of Lichfield appointed. Work to start in November, weather permitting.
05/09/11 Seeking tenders for construction of the memorial.
14/08/11 Amended Plan Approved.
14/04/11 Amended plan submitted to the NMA to 1) improve the display of the mosaic by moving it from a horizontal position to a vertical position, 2) reduce the cost of construction and 3) reduce the need for long term future maintenance. Full details here.
28/02/11 Seeking tenders for construction of the memorial. (Postponed. See note above).
24/02/11

Memorial Site; National Memorial Arboretum confirmed location of the Memorial.

13/02/11

Mosaic; The photos show the final stages in the manufacturing process as the mosaic was set in a 70mm deep stainless steel circular frame and secured in place by a fine screed poured into the frame and over a reinforcing mesh. The quality of finish and attention to detail is of the highest standard befitting the purpose of the mosaic. [Photos courtesy of P & A Massey of Zantium Studios.]

07/12/09 Mosaic; design artwork approved.
22/09/09 Mosaic; work commissioned.
19/08/09 Four Large Stones weighing around 15 tons uplifted from the Clachan Quarry on Loch Fyne, Scotland and transported 375 miles to the National Memorial Arboretum.
28/04/09 Plans approved by the NMA trustees.
06/01/09 First application to erect a memorial to Combined Operations in the grounds of the National Memorial Arboretum (NMA) in Staffordshire submitted to their trustees for consideration.

Legasee Film Archive. As part of an exciting social history project, the film company Legasee is looking for veterans from any conflict who would like to have their stories filmed for posterity. This footage will be used to launch a unique online archive of interviews for use by schools, colleges and members of the public. Films are now available on line. Click here
A WW2 Prayer for Combined Operations to our Roll of Honour page. Click here
You can now Search for Books direct from our Books page. Don't have the name of a book? Just type in a keyword to get a list of possibilities... and if you want to purchase you can do so on line. Click here
Commando Veterans' Association - for those who wore the green beret for any time from 1940 to the present day. Associate membership also available. Click here

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