Timeline

The Timeline - a history of the Project
(Click on a picture to see an enlargement)

4th May 2006 - First Ideas
Paul Arkinstall of 2nd Sutton Coldfield Company first broached the idea of a Memorial Garden at the NMA to a meeting of the BB West Midland District. This was taken up enthusiastically and he was instructed to approach the Arboretum to secure a plot, then talk with the Brigade Secretary and ask him to visit the site. A Steering Group which had a representative from each of the District's constituent Battalions met both on-site and elsewhere to design the Project and plan its implementation.

2nd September 2006 - Launch of the Project
The Project was officially launched at Brigade Council in Cardiff with the blessing of the Brigade Executive by means of a display and a flyer given to all those attending. At this meeting, we were promised, by individual Officers, the money to buy the plot and an eight-ton boulder of Ailsa Craig granite. Debbie and Paul Arkinstall are seen here with Rob Bolton.

13th April 2007 - Site Meeting with Contractor
After several planning sessions, approval of the plan by the Brigade and by the Arboretum's Planning Committee, and an article in The BBGazette a meeting took place on site on 13th April with a contractor to discuss the requirements for the groundworks and a possible schedule for doing the heavy works.

14th April 2007 - Visit to the Granite Boulder
On 14th April, some of the Steering Group visited Mauchline in Scotland to see the granite boulder and arrange how it is to be cut and polished for the engraving of the verse and how the anchor is to be affixed to it.

4th May 2007 - Presentation
One of the donations received was one for £330 which was presented to the Steering Group by 16th Paisley Company at their Annual Display. They had raised the money by filling Smartie tubes and a donation from a concert given by "Brass Impact", a jazz band formed largely of ex-members of the 16th.
A very big "Thank you" to you, lads, for your efforts in raising this money, and indeed to all who have donated,

14th June 2007 - Plaque Approval
Below is the design, approved by the Brigade President and Brigade Secretary, for the plaque to be affixed to the slate plinth. There will be Braille under the main title, "The Boys' Brigade Memorial Garden", not shown on this drawing.

3rd August 2007 - Arrival of Portland Stone
The first object for the Garden arrived on site at 6.45am on 3rd August. This is the Portland Stone plinth on which the "Stedfast" bench will be mounted. Work is due to start in early September to prepare the ground to take the stonework and the path. The Granite boulder from Scotland is due to arrive on 16th September.

22nd August 2007 - How the Granite Boulder will look...
This is a digital mock-up of how the rock is expected to look, using the modified anchor and the Boulder with its cut face towards you.

1st September 2007 - How the Granite Boulder and Anchor do look...
This is the rock now it has been engraved, with the adapted Anchor in position.

3rd September 2007 - WORK HAS STARTED!!

Chris, Luke and Dominic, Boys of the 1st Lichfield Company, the nearest Company to the Arboretum (as well as William, the Company's mascot!) were at the Arboretum in the lovely 8.30 sunshine this morning to cut the first sod of the BB Memorial Garden. We met with Charles Bagot-Jewitt, the Chief Executive of the Arboretum, on the plot by the Chapel for the Ceremony which John Mendus, President of the Birmingham Battalion, started with a prayer. Then the Boys dug into the very solid ground! After this the contractor started with the machinery to prepare the ground properly. (see below)
The Slate Plinth from Wales is due to arrive on 16th September with the Granite Boulder.
The first picture below is of the Bog Oak pillars which have been donated by the Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland Districts and are due to arrive towards the end of September.

After a day's work, it doesn't look too pretty, but this is just digging out the drainage channels, soakaway and footings for the retaining wall to be built beneath ground level.

8th September 2007 - Arrival of Slate Monolith
The Slate Monolith from North Wales arrived at a depot in the West Midlands on 8th September. This will be taken from the depot by the lorry which will then fetch the Granite Boulder from Scotland and will arrive at the Arboretum on 16th September.

10th September 2007 - Retaining Wall Built
The retaining wall has been built today. The wall will be filled in behind and in front so that it is buried, and will form the support for the edge of the patio area

14th September 2007 - Fork Lift Truck... and Bulbs!
The fork lift truck arrived on this low-loader at the Arboretum today, by kind courtesy of Leavesley International Ltd and FB Wolfe Haulage both of Alrewas, ready to lift the granite and slate off the lorry on Sunday 16th.
Wm Wheat and Sons, Florists of Streetly are to donate 500 bulbs - 125 of each of Standard Daffodils, Pheasant-eye Narcissi, Tête-à-tête Daffodils and Blue Grape Hyacinths. The 125 of each bulb represents the 125 years of existence of The Boys' Brigade.

15th September 2007 - The Twin Pillars are Handed Over
At 12.15pm on Saturday 15th September The Twin Pillars of 5,000 yr old 'Bog Oak' donated by the Republic of Ireland and the Northern Ireland Districts, were officially handed over to us at Bodnant Gardens in North Wales. Mr Billy Ellis from Dublin handed over the pillars to Paul & Debbie Arkinstall and Rob Bolton of the Garden steering group.
The Pillars will act as an entrance to the Garden.

16th September 2007 - The Rocks Arrive On-Site!
At 4pm on Sunday 16th September The Granite Boulder and the Slate Monolith were delivered to the site by Malcolm Watchorn of 1st Gornal BB Company. The Slate had had an extra-long journey, hving been loaded in the West Midlands and carried to Scotland to be brought together with the Boulder to Alrewas.

Some Boys of 1st Mauchline Company saw the rocks leave Scotland....

....and Boys from the West Midlands welcomed their arrival, along with the Irish Bog Oak, at the Arboretum.

The rocks will be placed in position by the contractor when preparation of the foundations has been completed and the anchor will be fixed when the rocks have been craned into their final positions.

25th September 2007 - The Groundworks Continue...
The underground supporting wall is now...underground!
The soak -away is covered and drainage pipe installed. The turf has been taken off the top of the whole garden. The path and foundation areas for the rocks has been dug-out.
Work continues Wednesday 26th, and the rocks will be lifted into place on Friday 28th.

26th September 2007 - The Groundworks Continue again...
Today the foundations for the three rocks were dug. The Granite foundation is simply hardcore etc compressed to allow for a bit of movement as the rock is placed in position. The Slate & Portland Stone foundations are hardcore and concrete (In the case of the Slate - reinforced with steel). These latter two are quite flat in order to take the flat base of the two rocks.

28th September 2007 - The Rocks are Craned into position.

Today, with the help of an enormous crane, the Granite Boulder, the Slate Monolith and the Portland Stone Slab were laid in their positions in the Garden. It is now possile to see the shape of the Garden and some of its features.

The Forces Memorial, seen in the distance on some of these pictures, was opened by Her Majesty The Queen on Friday 12th October. The Anchor was placed in position temporarily for the last photo.

Following the closure of the Arboretum to the public for the period around the opening of the Armed Forces Memorial, the paving slabs have been delivered and are being laid. Some of the "rope-top" edging pieces are visible in the first two pictures. The bog-oak gateway pillars are due to be put in place today (23rd) and the rest of the paving work finished by the end of tomorrow.

23rd October 2007 - The Groundworks Continue yet again...
Following the closure of the Arboretum to the public for the period around the opening of the Armed Forces Memorial, the paving slabs have been delivered and are being laid. Some of the "rope-top" edging pieces are visible in the first two pictures. The bog-oak gateway pillars are due to be put in place today (23rd) and the rest of the paving work finished by the end of tomorrow.

24th October 2007 - The Pathway Develops...
Some pictures of the work done on Tuesday - including a misty morning and dust created by cutting the slabs!

25th October 2007 - The Paving nears completion...
Some pictures of the work done on Wednesday, when the paving was virtually completed, The twin pillars were concreted in place and the Rope-Top edging was started. A drainage channel has been installed at end of patio.
The bench has been the subject of much discussion, but The Arboretum have suggested that we have a steel and wood-slat type. They say that they look better, last longer, are easier to maintain and cheaper to purchase. The type on the picture is 6ft long which would fit well on the Portland Slab. The standard model has a date on it (2008?) or it can be provided with other crests (at a cost.)

31st October 2007 - The Paving even nearer completion...
These pictures show the path with a close-up of the "grouting" between the slabs. We are just waiting for delivery of the final few pieces of Rope-Top edging to complete the job. We will soon be getting top-soil to spread and turf to lay - we have already got the bulbs to plant - if anyone can offer help, please click HERE.
The Armed Forces Memorial opened to the public on Saturday 27th October, and the final view here is of the work in progress on the BB Garden taken from the new AFM.

13th November 2007 - The Official Opening...

The Garden will be opened officially on Saturday 21st June 2008 by the Brigade President, Sir Kenneth Calman (left), in a ceremony starting at 12.30pm. The immediate former Brigade President, The Very Revd. Professor Alan Main (right) will lead the Service of Dedication in the Arboretum Chapel.

16th November 2007 - Topsoil Arrives...
The ten-plus tonnes of soil arrived on site today (Friday) ready for digging work to commence tomorrow, Saturday.

17th November 2007 - The Volunteers get to Work...
Lads from 1st Cheslyn Hay and 1st Lichfield Companies spent the day, which was thankfully dry but chilly, with a few Officers digging the trenches for planting the roses which are due to go in tomorrow, and the hedges. About 12 tons of topsoil was put into the trenches and spread over the rest of the garden ready to take the bulbs and turf next weekend.

18th November 2007 - The Volunteers continue!!!
Today it was VERY COLD with gale-force winds and freezing, driving rain. However, more brave young people, and some slightly less brave officers, from 1st Cheslyn Hay Coy turned up in even larger numbers than yesterday. The jobs included re-instating the CLCGB fence, planting the roses, spreading a bit more soil/mud, and the dirtiest job of all sieving the boulders from the remaining soil and loading the trailer. The large trailer full of hard-core that remained, fully justified the efforts expended digging trenches and re-filling in order to eventually plant the hedges.

What a weekend! A big THANK YOU to everyone.

19th November 2007 - Somewhere in deepest Staffordshire!!!
Somewhere in deepest Staffordshire, at the end of a rainbow, there lies a magical garden...

22nd November 2007 - A Royal visitor...
Vice-Admiral Timothy Laurence, CB, MVO, CSM, ADC(P) made a short informal visit to the BB Garden today whilst visiting the Arboretum. The visit was short but hopefully informative. VA Laurence was accompanied by Cdr.(Retd) Charles Bagot Jewitt, the Director of the National Memorial Arboretum, and Chris Buxton who is, of course, a member of our BB Garden Steering Group. Chris gave the Admiral a short tour of the developing Garden, explaining the significance of the various elements that are there or will be there. The Admiral seemed to be quite interested in the Garden and, with his naval background, asked about the anchor!

23rd November 2007 - The Turf Arrives...
We had a delivery of 64 sq metres (77 sq yards) of turf this afternoon - this was generously supplied and delivered, free of charge, by Talbot Turf of Hilton, Derbyshire. Everything is now ready on the garden for bulb planting and turfing tomorrow.

24th November 2007 - The Turf is laid...
A slightly smaller, but no less effective contingent worked very hard on the Garden today. All the bulbs were planted in drifts, Daffodils, Tête-à-Tête, Pheasant's Eye and Muscari. The turf was laid and the garden transformed - with enough spare to cover most of the slope at the end of the garden. Another very productive and rewarding day.

1st December 2007 - William pays another visit!
Two local Anchor Boys bring William with them!

24th January 2008 - Spring is sprung?...
Spring is arriving in the Memorial Garden - the bulbs are already pushing their way up through the lawn.

1st February 2008 - Thinking...Inside the Box!
The planting of the Box hedge (Buxus Sempervirens) which will surround much of the garden, has started. The first phase being planted on Tuesday 29th January. More Box has to be planted along with Field Maple. The job is due to be completed in the next few days, weather permitting.

9th February 2008 - A Sunny February Day...
The planting of the Box hedge continues. The first phase being planted on Tuesday 29th January. The Field Maple has still to be planted. Although the Roses still look just like sticks, they have just started to show their buds. Despite the enormous number of stones which were riddled out, you can still get a good idea of how stony the ground is!

12th February 2008 - The hedge is now complete...
The garden is now completely enclosed with Box hedge; this was finished today after it was considered better to keep to the one sort of hedge all round. The pictures below show the Box trees lined up along the edge ready to be planted, some of the Arboretum staff planting them, the finished hedge and some visitors.
The bench is due to arrive within the next two or three weeks and will be situated on the slab of Portland Stone, and the contracts for the engraving of the Slate Plinth, and the making of the Plaque to accompany this, have both been let.

17th February 2008 - The Anchor in situ...
Now the work around it has been completed, and we have had a few dry days, the Anchor has now been firmly cemented into its permanent position on the rock and completes that part of the Garden.

29th February 2008 - The Bench Arrives...
The bench has been delivered from the manufacturers and has been put in its place on the Portland Stone Plinth. There is a roundel in each end, showing 1883 at one end and 2008 at the other. Whether it was the weather or the earthquake, the daffodils are showing well through the grass now! The centre picture shows an overview of the nearly completed garden - just the carving and plaque on the Slate Monolith, and letting nature allow the plants to grow.

9th March 2008 - Work on the Slate...
The Slate Monolith has been marked-up in preparation for engraving with the Object of The Boys' Brigade.
Here is also a picture of 'The Best Seat in the House' - daffodils set off our new bench giving a fine view over the slate monolith towards the Armed Forces Memorial, opened in October 2007.

12th March 2008 - The Plaque is Finished...
The Plaque is now ready and the pictures show it in position on the Slate Monolith. It will not, however be fixed there until the engraving round the edge has been finished. It is an excellent piece of work of which we are very proud. The notches on the circumference indicate to blind people that there is a Braille inscription and that it is on that line.

14th March 2008 - The Mason at Work...
The stonemason started work on Thursday 13th March on engraving the slate monolith at the centre of the garden patio area. We always knew the BB object was 'cast in tablets of stone'!

5th April 2008 - A host of golden daffodils...
The Standard Daffodils and Tête-à-tête Daffodils have already put on a brilliant show of colour, and the Blue Grape Hyacinths and Pheasant-eye Narcissi have recently started to show themselves through the grass.

23rd April 2008 - St George's Day in the Heart of England...
The BB Garden on St George's Day. Mr Barry McQueen, Blackpool's (formerly Birmingham's) Town Crier, steps up to wish everyone a Happy St George's Day. Barry is an Old Boy of the 2nd Stalybridge Coy. and has fond memories of his time in the BB. He rose through the ranks but was always interested in 'Bands' (are we surprised?). He played, Bugle, Bass Drum and became Drum Major. Barry puts his skills to good use playing fanfares on his hunting horn. Barry described the Garden as 'Wonderful'.

1st June 2008 - Glorious First of June!
After a brilliant display of daffodils in the Spring, the "Boys' Brigade" Roses are starting to bloom and are looking good - we are hoping for a good display for the Opening Day on 21st June.

2nd June 2008 - The Inscription on the Monolith...
Following an enforced gap of nearly three months, the inscription on the top of the Monolith is proceeding apace.

10th June 2008 - The Inscription on the Monolith...
Just the rounded letters of The Object to be done on the top. The plaque for the side has been made and is currently being engraved in the workshop. This looks first class. It looks even better in 'real life'.

17th June 2008 - All finished in time for the big day!...
Well, here it is, the completed slate monolith. Chris, the stonemason, finished work about 3.30 p.m. this afternoon. The engraving on the top of the slate is complete, the metal plaque has been permanently fixed and the slate plaque attached to the front.
The plaque in the front and the top surface have been oiled with linseed oil and now look terrific.
The roses are blooming, the grass is greening-up, the Pennyland Stone in place, the Garden awaits its big moment in History.

21st June 2008 - The Dedication and opening...
Some pictures of the event are shown below...


Robin posts some of the philatelic covers bearing the special BB Memorial Garden logo, in the postbox at the Arboretum.	The Slate Monolith prepared for unveiling..	A view of the garden from Millennium Avenue.
At 9.30am Simon and Edward, of 1st Tamworth Company play General Salute for the raising of the BB flag at the entrance to the Arboretum.		The Arboretum kindly let us set up a reception desk just inside the main doors.
The Service of Dedication was conducted by former Brigade President, The Very Reverend Professor Alan Main. A copy of the Order of Service (PDF format, 591kb) can be downloaded HERE,	This service included Bible passages read by Will and Josh, whilst David played the keyboard for the hymns and a voluntary. These three Boys are all from 2nd Sutton Coldfield Company.
Alex and Daniel of 1st Lichfield Company had written prayers which they read during the Service.		Five BB/GB Bands from the West Midland District entertained the public at various points on the site during the day. This is 73rd Birmingham BB/2nd Solihull GB Band.
After the Service, Brigade President, Sir Kenneth Calman, officially opened the Garden.	A Guard of Honour was provided by Boys from all Sections of 1st Cheslyn Hay Company (Left hand picture © B Cherrett)	The President was helped by Kiean and Jordan of 1st Lichfield Company as they are the closest BB Twins to the BB Garden, living little more than a mile away!
Central ITV News covered the event and broadcast a short report on the afternoon of the Opening, with a longer feature in the 6pm Central News on Monday 23rd June.	Robin Bolton is interviewed by the Central ITV News team. (© B Cherrett)	At 4.30, the BB flag was lowered to Retreat sounded by Paul Arkinstall of 2nd Sutton Coldfield Company. Paul was the Officer who set the ball rolling back in 2006 to get this wonderful BB Garden project started.

FOUNDER'S DAY, 27th October 2008

On Founder's Day, Steve Dickinson, Brigade Secretary, conducted a short Wreath-laying Ceremony, ably assisted by boys from nearby Companies; Liam Vickers of 1st Cheslyn Hay, Leo Morton of 2nd Sutton Coldfield Company, Simon Davies and Ed Poultney of 1st Tamworth Company and James Fellows and Dominic Simcox of 1st Lichfield Company. A good crowd was there braving the cold, though not this time the rain! Thank you to all who were involved!

27th October 2008 - More paving...

The paving of the area just outside the entrance to our Garden has been completed and greatly improves the approach.

19th December 2008 - A Tribute...
Marine Damian Davies was one of three marines who died as a result of an explosion south of Sangin, Afghanistan, on 12 December, 2008. The 27-year-old, from Telford, Shropshire, was with the Landing Force Support Party, Commando Logistics Regiment. A cross was placed by the Rock in remembrance of Damian, who was an Instructor in the 2nd Oakengates BB Company. Click HERE to read a Tribute to Damian.

For later Updates please see Update.

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