Arboretum's name change faces veterans' backlash

National Memorial Arboretum's name change this month has been called "diminishing" and "unnecessary" by some visitors, including veterans.

Plans for the new name, Royal British Legion National Remembrance Gardens, were announced in April. The armed forces charity said it was to reflect the arboretum's full integration with RBL and broaden public engagement.

About 25,000 people signed a petition against the move, including Royal Air Force veteran Paul Cornhill, who visits the site in Alrewas, Staffordshire, to remember his stillborn daughter.

"I've decided it's a step too far to change the name to what they want," said Cornhill, from Tamworth, vowing not to attend future Remembrance services.

There are 420 memorials at the 150-acre site, which honours the service and sacrifice of the armed forces, emergency services and other civilian organisations, including the Sands charity's baby loss memorial.

Cornhill said enduring the loss of a stillborn baby had been difficult, but he described the Sands memorial as "a good place to go for a think and sit down and talk and have a bit of a cry even".

The petition claimed the arboretum's name change "undermines its rich heritage and the deep emotional connections many have with it".

David Willis, a Royal Navy veteran of 39 years from Polesworth, Warwickshire, said he visits to remember patients he treated as a medic.

"There are a lot of names of friends and former colleagues on the walls.

"There are also names of patients, I remember their names, on the walls as well, who we battled to save their lives but unfortunately passed away.

"Quite often I just touch their names when I'm there. It gives me comfort," he said.

And added: "To change it to 'memorial gardens' hasn't got that grandeur."

Stevan Jackson, a Royal Navy veteran of 35 years, said: "Branding the arboretum with Royal British Legion imposes a service-centric focus, which I think diminishes those other organisations and charities that are not service related but are represented at the arboretum.

"I don't see it as being at all necessary," added Jackson from Kidderminster, Worcestershire.

John Woodall from Stourbridge, West Midlands, said: "It's lost its emphasis as a national memorial for all services, whether they're public services, police, paramedics, or whoever, and obviously some private services."

The arboretum is visited by more than 300,000 people every year, including 26,000 young people on educational trips.

In a previous statement, the Royal British Legion said: "The naming process included research and consultation with members of the public… members of the Armed Forces community, volunteers, and staff."

But in a more recent statement, the charity said no formal consultation had taken place and that the decision was made "in line with established governance procedures and with scrutiny and approval from the Board of Trustees".

A spokesperson for Royal British Legion said: "RBL has provided stewardship to the Arboretum for 23 years, and during that time the charity has invested more than £34 million into enhancing facilities and ensuring entry remains free.

"The Arboretum's long-term future has been secured through full integration with RBL, and every decision has been taken in the interests of the estate and all those who care deeply about it.

"The decision to rename the site has been made, and work to implement the new name is in its final stages.

"The elements that make this place so special – the range of memorials and the inspirational stories behind them – will not change and will be protected by RBL for generations to come."

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