The Armed Forces Memorial, and its immediate surroundings, will be closed to visitors from 10am on Friday 8 August to 5pm on Sunday 17 August to allow us to prepare to host the national VJ Day 80 commemorations. The rest of the Arboretum's 150-acres will remain open to visitors as normal. We are sorry for any inconvenience this might cause and appreciate your understanding during this time.
To allow for the safe preparation and breakdown of infrastructure for the service, the Armed Forces Memorial, and its surroundings, will be closed to visitors from 10am on Friday 8 August to 5pm on Sunday 17 August. We are sorry for any inconvenience this might cause and appreciate your understanding during this time. The rest of the Arboretum, including the Remembrance Centre and the Wondrous Trees summer activity programme will remain open as normal, and we look forward to welcoming you.
Throughout the closure, visitors will be able to lay wreaths and tributes in a temporary location near the Armed Forces Memorial. At the end of each day the tributes will be placed on the Armed Forces Memorial by a member of the Arboretum team, when they will also observe a moment of silence.
Our team will also be happy to advise visitors of other memorials with links to the Armed Forces Memorial that may be of interest, and where tributes can also be laid.
The service on Friday 15 August at the base of the Armed Forces Memorial, will be attended by Second World War veterans, VJ association members, senior politicians, and military personnel, remembering the fallen and paying tribute to the British, Commonwealth and Allied veterans who served in the Far East theatres of war, the Pacific and Indian Ocean territories. The service will feature 400 members of the Armed Forces and include music from military bands, as well as a flypast from the Red Arrows and historic Second World War era aircraft from The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.
Access to watch the National Commemorative service at the base of the Armed Forces Memorial on 15 August is strictly by invited ticket only. Visitors to the Arboretum can participate in the commemorations by attending a live screening of the service at the nearby Naval Review. A park and ride facility will be in operation on this day, and pre-booking of car/ motorcycle parking is essential.
