Despite the cold wind and rain showers this was a very, very special day. The unveiling of the statue to commemorate all the ladies who served their country, without recognition, was memorable. Land 'Girls' aged up to 104 had travelled from far and wide to see the unveiling , by the Countess of Wessex, and were visibly moved by the experience. In the marquee, after the event, the Countess spent quality time with them finding out about their experiences. She was charm itself. The Arboretum is also home to memorials to the Bevan Boys and also has the names of everyone who perished in the wars engraved on a huge hilltop memorial. We had no time to see the other memorials. Well worth a visit for a small car parking fee. A great day out.

The day we went it was horribly cold and windy but there were dozens of land girls out in the weather to inaugurate the monument to their courage in the second world war. The average age must have been over 80 but they had a lovely day. So did we.
The place is a magnificent testament to the fallen and the regard they are held in the nations heart. So very well presented, designed and maintained. The staff at all points was wonderfully helpful and happy. The level of customer care could be a model for many a business!
A great day at a fantastic place. Each citizen of this country should go there at least once. I only wish that the UK government would pay for all development and running costs. This is an expense we should all share willingly.

The Ambulance Service Memorial was, until recently, situated near to the exit and car park. It was very difficult to locate. Due to the expansion of the car park, it was necessary to relocate the memorial. It is now in a much more suitable and easily accessible site.
On September 18th, 2014, a ceremony was held to whereby there was a Service of Re-Dedication, which was attended by Ambulance Services across the country, including Scotland and the Isle of Wight

I've visited this place a couple of times and i think it's a lovely place to walk around and marvel and what people have actually done for us as a country and how they will not be forgotten. Some very lavish structures and very creative and effective areas. The only downside is there should be more to appeal to younger generations.

Having wanted to visit for some time my wife and I made the effort last week. It was a lovely day for a drive so off we went. It isn't far from us, about 40 mins but on the country roads a lovely drive. We didn't really know what to expect but were amazed at what we found. The site is enormous approximately 300 acres with memorials for all branches of the forces and the support services placed throughout the area. The main memorial has all the names carved in stone and to our amazement is right up to date. One rather disturbing note is that there is nearly as much area uncarved as there is already carved!

The arboretum is in a constant state of flux and so provides a passionate experience on each and every occasion. It would be disrespectful to treat the venue as a tourist attraction but there is a remarkable blend of interest and amazed bewilderment around each and every corner that maintains your attention and interest. From the introductory talk at the start of my visit in the Chapel to the dedicated culmination of each benefactors particular memorial, the place is a tribute to those people who deserve our respect, in some instances our sympathy but most of all our thanks!. It is not just an armed forces memorial but a thanksgiving to those around us in everyday life. Those that we often take for granted and never see until we need them.

It's a few years since we last visited the Arboretum, so it was pleasing to see that many of the trees are becoming established.
Make sure that you arrive in time for the 11.00am Introduction which takes place in the chapel. it begins with the "Last Post" and 2 minutes silence which is a fitting tribute to the heroes of our country who are commemorated here.
The best way to appreciate the Arboretum is to wander around with no particular plan and view the many monuments that have been placed amongst the trees. However, do make sure you visit the "Shot at Dawn" memorial (recognising the men shot for "cowardice" in WW1), it stays in the memory long after you returned home.

As a service family through the generations, and my husband having been a RN officer for 24 years, during which having served in the 1982 Falklands conflict aboard HMS Antrim, this was a thought provoking, poignant visit. The memorial is tastefully designed and maintained, and proud to be British.

I didn't know really what to expect from this place, but I found it poignant and humbling.
A must, is the land train that takes in most of the park and has very informative dialogue all the way round and the guy that runs it is hilarious.
Truly brilliant place

What a lovely setting for our war heroes , it's a stark reminder of what those brave men and women sacrificed. You could easily spend a day looking round, there are lots of different things to see. Also how nice to see school children being shown a bit of history.
We didn't have anyone that we know of who would have been in any of the conflicts, but for people who have lost loved ones I'm sure it would be a very moving experience..
There is a nice restaurant with a good variety of food the prices are very reasonable.
Parking is £3 for the day.
It's a shame they have to find through donations £4000 a day to keep it a free admission , surly this should be funded by our government , they give millions away to other countries when they should be supporting this project,

Everyone should visit this national monument at least once, a place to remember those who gave their lives in service for their country. Beautiful parklands with so many things to see, thought provoking and wonderful.

Wow. That was my reaction when we got there. I hadn't heard of it before but my friend had been so we went. I wasn't expecting the sheer size of the place or to be so over-awed by the fantastic memorials themselves. There is one main memorial wall (the one that you can see in the pic commemorating all lives lost since the end of WW2) but all around are monuments and tree plantings to different regiments and other associations. They vary in size, shape, design and stories and the way to get the most information about them is to pay £5 for the train, which runs half-hourly, as there is a running commentary on it made by the BBC about the memorials that it visits - it's well worth it.That also gives you an idea of the size of the park. Entry to the arboretum is free (with a suggested donation of £5) and the staff are mostly well-informed volunteers. The paths are wide and straight and we saw several wheelchair users there. We also saw people of all ages, some in uniform, visiting their memorials which was very touching. There is one place called Last Post in which a post has been planted for each soldier shot by firing squads in WW1 for cowardice or desertion. This was before shell shock was recognised and the youngest one is just 17 years old - it's incredibly moving. There is an on-site church in which they hold two services a day, both with a two-minute silence in remembrance. It really brings home the sacrifices that have been made for us, and it was heartening to see people of all ages (including air force/army/navy cadets) visiting and being so respectful of the place and what it represents. There is a cafe on site and you can take dogs but only on the perimeter (not to the memorials themselves) on a short walk. Parking is £3 per car but all monies goes to supporting the charity. There is also a well-stocked gift shop. I'm definitely going back as it was too big to see everything in one day. What I would say is they need to advertise more. I visit lots of military airshows and I've never seen leaflets or any information about this arboretum and a straw poll of my friends shows the same. Considering it's of national importance, it needs a plug. Tell all your friends.

Decided to visit the arboretum as we were on holiday and my other half has family who served in the armed forces and he wanted to try and find the memorials for their regiments. I wasn't prepared for how emotional our visit would be. It truly is a beautiful and peaceful place and reading all the messages and plaques brought a lump to my throat and a tear to my eye. The WW1 memorial for those that were shot at dawn as deserters was particularly poignant especially when you read the ages of those involved.
Happily we managed to find the memorials we had hoped to thanks to some help from one of the friendly volunteers. This is a lovely place to visit and will be even better once the trees have matured...a truly humbling experience that made me thankful to those who have given their lives so that I can live mine.

An amazing area honouring the many people who have given their lives,mainly in areas of conflict throughout the world.
A wonderful place to bring older children in order to reflect on the sacrifices made on their behalf.
Facilities are good. A nice restaurant provides good quality food at reasonable prices.
Entry is free ( A donation is suggested ) offering good value for money.
An excellent day out for families,those interested in architecture, horticulture and of course it's primary purpose to reflect on the sacrifice made over many years in order that we can enjoy the freedom we enjoy today.

We stopped on our way south as this is no great distance from the M6 toll road. Thank goodness we did. This is an amazing place and a great credit to the designers. The main war memorial was huge and lists all the names of military who have lost their lives in wars since 1945 up until last year. Unfortunately wars will go on and there is a large area for new names - this is very thought provoking and there are two massive bronzes of military activity. the one which particularly made us think was the wounded soldier on a stretcher being carried by his mates. There are so many other memorials we did not have time to visit so we shall go back next time we travel north. Best visited on a fine day. There are buggy and land train tours so save your legs!

This place is amazing. There is a train which takes you around the grounds with an interesting commentary and was the best £5 I've spent at a place of interest. Not really a place for small children.

On arrival you are taken a back by the size of the place. The memorial stones are very thought provoking. The main war memorial is vast, so sad that so many have given their lives and even more thought provoking the empty memorial awaiting future names. I would recommend this place, its well kept, peaceful and deserves a visit. Parking is £3 for the day but there is not charge for entry just a recommendation to leave a donation

The National Memorial Arboretum is such a credit to the donors, benefactors and volunteers that have created it.

Give it a few years and it will be beautifully matured.

The number of displays are constantly changing and the central memorial reminded me of the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, Australia. Names of the fallen are listed in date order.

The scope of the gardens covers a wide variety of community organisations not just he armed forces.

The volunteers are particularly helpful in locating the location of regimental memorials

An excellent day out very humbling. To get the most out of your visit take one of the guide tours given by the magnificent volunteers the cost is not a lot for what you get from it.. The information is invaluable when you walk independently around the Arboretum seeing the various memorials which are not confined to only the Military. They have a lovely coffee shop and outdoor picnic areas and kiddies play area. What's more its free entry.

What a brilliant inspirational place....well laid out, respectful, easy to access all memorials. Husband served in South Atlantic so was poignant to both of us. Only disappointment was on the memorial wall no distinction between serving Royal Marines and Navy personnel....we know Royal Marines do come under the banner of Navy but it was upsetting to my husband to see his colleagues not given the respect of being and dying as a Royal Marine, especially when calls / advertising to join The Royal Marines is not classed as being Navy.

It was our first visit here and I found it both beautiful and peaceful. The memorials are thought provoking and tear jerking at a time of unrest in the world. Funny how the conflict zones have remained the same for 209 years ...
Facilities are good and well maintained and all the staff we encountered were very friendly and helpful.
A powerful place and experience - highly recommended

This is an amazing place - just so well thought out and tasteful. There are memorials to so many diffierent aspects of the military but also to other groups of people who have suffered or had their lives cut short. Even if you have no connection with the military you cannot help to be moved when you consider how many thousands of lives are represented in all that stands here. It is a large site but there is a land train which goes round the site half-hourly (for a £5 fee but well worth it) with a commentary. We used this to get an overview and then walked back to the things we wanted to specifically see. There are also shorter buggy rides available. There is a reflective Chapel which holds a short memorial everyday - although we did not arrive in time to get to this - but the chapel itself is well worth a visit has some interesting features. The park is being added to all the time so there will always be new things to see.

I visited the Arboritum with my mother and aunt - both elderly and infirm, and one suffering from dementia. Because of their difficulty in walking, we explored the idea of using the scooters available, but my aunt with dementia was quite worried about dealing with a new thing such as driving a scooter. So I spoke to the management at the Arboritum who advised that they have buggies for just this purpose, provided with a driver/guide (I understand that you can't drive one yourself) included in the rate is a two course lunch.
Well, we had a most wonderful driver/guide, who was kind to the two ladies, and explained the monuments clearly with lovely anecdotes, and gave us all time to stop and look at the monuments we were interested in. Because it was wet and windy on the day, we were zipped into the buggy and had fleecy blankets for our knees - which the two ladies LOVED!!!
They felt special and pampered all day -plus they enjoyed looking at the memorials and hearing the stories, and seeing the lovely autumn colours in the trees.
You may think that, because this is a memorial to people who have lost their lives in conflict, that it would be a solemn and grim place, but there is an air of peace and calm over the whole place.
I cannot recommend it highly enough.
There is no admission fee to this attraction, but you are asked for a donation, as it is all run on donations.

Well, we drove the 85 miles or so down to the National Memorial Arboretum. I did not realise there were so many Memorials. Being a former Rifleman I was interested in The Royal Green Jackets & The Rifles & its constituent Regiments. A most enjoyable day in rather wet conditions but well worth the drive. Whoever thought of the idea in the first place is to be commended. I met an old soldier from the Durham Light Infantry, (what a superb regiment - now part of The Rifles) & shook his hand.

We visited on Sunday 21st September 2014, a nice sunny Autumnal day. Living quite close in Rugeley, but never visited before we thought that we'd give it a try. It's a very thought provoking place. You really need a site map to navigate round. I found the entire visit very very interesting. I felt sorry however for families who have assigned memorials to trees that are now in the centre of dark close plantations. I feel that several trees will have to be removed to allow the others to achieve maturity. The main stone memorial which is set up on a Mott has an interesting feature, inasmuch that the Sun passes through several apertures to illuminate the memorial names on the 11th day of the 11th Month. Highly recommended.