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Tree of Life Memorial

Vivienne14

Kentish Brummie Moderator
Staff member
The photos that follow are of the Tree of Life Memorial. These are photos I took on 22/8/15. Post #2 shows all the names of those who lost their lives during air raids on Birmingham in WW2. Viv.
 

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These are photos of each panel below the Tree of Life Memorial which stands in the Bull Ring, near St. Martin's Church. Viv.image.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpg
 

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I wondered why there are smaller plaques underneath. My relative is George W. Inwood G.C.
He has been mentioned before on the Forum. (His grave was photographed by Key Hill Brian)
rosie.
 
Hi Rosie. Don't know why there are small plaques underneath the main panels but I presume it's because some names/stories have been uncovered in more recent times, hence names have been added. (Could of course be wrong, so if anyone has more info please correct me). I notice there was a blank plaque on one side of the memorial, so perhaps this is to allow for later additions as a result of further research?.Viv.
 
Nice pictures Vivienne, the Tranter G on picture 4 is my old school friend killed when he was only 7 years old. RIP Gordon.
 
That's very, very sad Nick. We often assume that casualties are adults, but I expect there are other children named on the memorial. Viv.
 
I'd like to say 'Thank You' to Barbara Johnson (chair of the BARRA site - Birmingham Air Raids Remembrance Association) who I met at the BHF Summer 2015 Meet Up. Barbara told me all about the Tree of Life memorial which prompted me to go and have a good look at it in the Bull Ring. And a big Thank You for all the hard work she and her group have put in to getting this memorial erected. Much appreciated. Viv.
 
That's very, very sad Nick. We often assume that casualties are adults, but I expect there are other children named on the memorial. Viv.

Yes Vivienne there must have been a lot of children killed, Gordon’s 4 year old sister Peggy also died on the same night, and a 2year old girl Hazel Long, was killed when the houses opposite ours was bombed.
 
And of course Nick there're multiple surnames listed which look like whole families were killed. Must have been devastating. Also I remember my mum telling me about a direct hit on a public air raid shelter. That too must have been horrific and large numbers affected in one community. Viv.
 
Hi Rosie. Don't know why there are small plaques underneath the main panels but I presume it's because some names/stories have been uncovered in more recent times, hence names have been added. (Could of course be wrong, so if anyone has more info please correct me). I notice there was a blank plaque on one side of the memorial, so perhaps this is to allow for later additions as a result of further research?.Viv.
The additional names that have been added to our Tree of Life Memorial were found after we had the memorial erected. The original names were of Civilians who lived and died in Birmingham. The latter names lived in Birmingham but were taken to hospitals outside of the county were they later died.

The basement of the store Lewis’s was used as a mortuary.

The heartbreaking part of this are those children whose parents were killed in the Blitz whilst they were evacuated. Several of the children were separated from their siblings, some stayed at the home they had been evacuated to, whilst their siblings were sent to live elsewhere. Some siblings did not find each other until they were adults and knew little about their past history because their former homes had been bombed and all documents , certificates and photographs had been destroyed during the blitz. That must be terrible not knowing background information about your own family.
The Birmingham Air Raid Remembrance Association ( BARRA) book called Birmingham Blitz Our Stories compiled by Brian Wright is a compelling read.
 
I wondered why there are smaller plaques underneath. My relative is George W. Inwood G.C.
He has been mentioned before on the Forum. (His grave was photographed by Key Hill Brian)
rosie.
The additional names that have been added to our Tree of Life Memorial were found after we had the memorial erected. The original names were of Civilians who lived and died in Birmingham. The latter names lived in Birmingham but were taken to hospitals outside of the county were they later died.
 
Alan that's very interesting! One of the Forum members is also related to him, I don't think he logs in now.
rosie.
 
Must have been terrible for so many families Bojalu. My grandmother was one of those mothers who fetched her children back from evacuation. I always appreciated the risk families did in doing so. But the future that some children faced returning from evacuation hadn't really registered with me. The possibility that evacuated children might return to no living family must have been a question many parents would have struggled with before deciding whether to send their children off.


Thanks too for the additional information about the memorial. Viv.
 
Vivienne, thank you for starting this thread,and what a wonderful memorial.
I am sorry to say that although I am aware of the great losses amongst our armed services in WW11 and although living in Birmingham for 65 years ,I never knew that so many civilians lost their lives in the city.I am sure that I am not alone in this, and the thought that evacuated children could have lost parents in the raids is very sad. Alberta
 
morning alberta i always think how hard it must have been for parents to decide to send their children off to safer places away from the bombings..our dad and his bros and sisters all went to different parts of wales...dads younger brother harry died there in march 1941 aged 6 of peritinitas and is buried in abergavenny...dads mom at this time was pregnant with another son john who died in the dec of 1941 just 2 months old he is buried at warstone lane..how on earth they coped with such losses is beyond me..to know your child is ill and you cant get to them must have been awful...it is my mission to visit where harry is buried and pay my respects as his family never managed to do it...
 
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It must have been so very hard Lyn, The thread ,Childhood Evacuation,that Beryl started in 2008 shares many stories of that time, including your own personal story of your visit with your Dad.
Beryls time in Ravenstone, where my youngest son now lives, was not a happy time.

Some lovely stories and great insights of that time added by ChrisM. Alberta
 
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