| Press Release - November 2010 at Arnos Vale |
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As tradition dictates, the cemetery's Month to Remember programme starts with a service and wreath-laying coinciding with the moment the First World War ended - the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month: 11am on Thursday 11 November 2010.
It will be followed by six more special events between then and Wednesday 24 November, including a newly-created tour of Arnos Vale's many military graves; the creation of a new mural during the Totterdown Arts Trail, and an evening talk by historian Charles Booth, of the University of the West of England, about how we remember the Fallen. Photograph Bob Pitchford Arnos Vale's public engagement manager Felicia Smith explains: "It was on 24 November 1940 that Bristol suffered the first of the major bombing raids which changed the city forever and cost the lives of 1,299 civilians, many of whom rest at Arnos Vale. As a result, we wanted to pay special tribute to them and give local people the opportunity to explore the many war memorials we have here and memorial customs. It isn't always realised that Arnos Vale is a very important war graves site. In addition to Blitz victims, this is where more than 600 British and Allied soldiers, sailors and airmen from both World Wars and older conflicts are remembered, including three recipients of Britain's highest aware for valour, the Victoria Cross, and veterans who survived the battles of Trafalgar and Waterloo." Between 11 November 2010 and 24 November 2010, Arnos Vale Cemetery Trust is holding a series of events on the theme of Remembrance. This begins on Armistice Day:
Armistice Day memorial service with local school children at Great War Memorial on Soldier's Corner. FREE - No need to book. All welcome. Sunday 14th November 2010, 11am Remembrance Sunday memorial service and a talk by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. FREE - No need to book. All welcome.
Friday 19th to Sunday 21st November 2010 - all day Visit the shop to pick up a self-guided trail map pinpointing some of the cemetery's finest historic and contemporary memorial sculptures and statuary or watch as a mural is created at the Top Lodge. A Totterdown Arts Trail event. FREE - no need to book. All welcome.
Saturday 20th November 2010, 2.00-3.30pm: War Graves Tour Learn more about men and women, from Britain and abroad, who gave up their lives while serving their countries during WW1, WW2 and other conflicts. Tickets £5/£3 concessions
Tuesday 23rd November 2010, 7.00-8.30pm: Loss Memory and War: Remembering the Fallen at Arnos Vale - a talk by Charles Booth As part of our Autumn lectures season, a talk exploring how war memorials changed as a result of the Great War (1914-1918). Historian Charles Booth explains "The enormous scale of casualties in the Great War forced nations and communities in the Twentieth Century to forge new ways of remembering the fallen. The talk will provide an overview of the development of war memorials and war graves organisation in the United Kingdom, focusing on specific examples of memorials and individuals in Arnos Vale Cemetery." Tickets £7 / £5 concessions. £20 for season ticket to all four talks
Wednesday 24 November 2010, 11am: Bristol Blitz 70th Anniversary Memorial Service: Anglican Chapel, Arnos Vale Bristol's Blitz 70th Anniversary memorial service. With contributions from The Right Honorable The Lord Mayor of Bristol, Councillor Colin Smith; Year 5 children from Knowle Park Primary School; British Royal Legion standard-bearers and the families of Blitz casualties. In the beautifully restored Anglican Chapel. FREE - No need to book. All welcome.
For further information please contact Felicia Smith on E: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . T: 0117 971 9117 ext 211.
Tour and Talk tickets are available from: East Lodge Shop Box Office www.arnosvale.org.uk/index.php/eventsandactivities T: 0117 971 9117 ext 211 E: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Organisiations supporting the Month to Remember at Arnos Vale: Commonwealth War Graves Commission: Will be attending services on Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday, and offering visitors an insight into the vital role the Commission has in maintaining graves and memorials to service personnel in Arnos Vale. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission was established by Royal Charter in 1917. It pays tribute to the 1,700,000 men and women of the Commonwealth forces who died in the two world wars. Royal British Legion The Royal British Legion safeguards the welfare, interests and memory of those who are serving or who have served in the Armed Forces. It is one of the UK's largest membership organisations and recognised as custodians of Remembrance. It runs the annual Poppy Appeal: not just for those who fought in the two World Wars, but also those involved in the many conflicts since 1945 and those still fighting today. http://www.britishlegion.org.uk/ Totterdown Arts Trail FRONT ROOM, Totterdown Art Trail lights up the city - a wonderful opportunity to view, interact with, discuss and buy art. Established in 2011 by a group of local artists, Totterdown's FRONT ROOM Art Trail has grown steadily year on year, now attracting hearly 200 artists, 60 venues and over 4000 visitors. A celebration to remember! Charles Booth is a lecturer at Bristol Business School, University of the West of England. He is a volunteer tour guide at Arnos Vale cemetery and has written and presented on social memory and commemoration. He is currently researching the lives and deaths of some of the servicemen and women buried or cremated at Arnos Vale and will be giving a guided tour and evening talk based on his research.
ARNOS VALE CEMETERY TRUST is the charitable Trust that now manages the Cemetery. Arnos Vale Cemetery is a magnificient 45 acre cemetery in the centre of Bristol. It was established in 1837 and is the resting place of over 300,000 Bristolians. It is one of the earliest, best, and the only known fully restored examples of a Victorian, 'Arcadian' garden cemetery. It was restored with the generous and much-appreciated support of the Heritage Lottery Fund, Bristol City Council and English Heritage and to a very large number of smaller but no less valued charities, companies and private individuals, including Biffaward and the Spielman Charitable Trust. A fuller list of benefactors appears on our website. The restoration was completed in May 2010. Arnos Vale Cemetery Trust is wholly reliant on public support and donations for the ongoing running and maintenance of the site. Arnos Vale Cemetery is open throughout the year. Follow us on Facebook - "We Love Arnos Vale Cemetery" group.
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The changing ways in which nations honour people killed in war will be one of the topics explored at Bristol's Arnos Vale Cemetery during November in the run-up to a special 70th anniversary ceremony remembering the 1,299 victims of World War Two's Bristol Blitz.
