Tree of Life Blitz memorial unveiled in its new home by St Martin's

Birmingham's memorial to the civilians killed in air raids during the Second World War is being officially unveiled in its new home today, Saturday 10 October, after being restored over the summer.

The Tree of Life sculpture was installed in a new memorial garden next to St Martin's in the Bull Ring church on Thursday 8 October. It will be unveiled after the Birmingham Air Raids Remembrance Association's annual Service of Remembrance and Thanksgiving, which begins at 11am. All are welcome to attend.

The Birmingham Blitz

Between 8 August 1940 and 23 April 1943, Birmingham was hit by 77 air raids, which caused more than 9,000 casualties, including 2,241 civilian deaths. As a centre of arms and aircraft manufacture, the city was one of the most heavily bombed in Britain outside London.

The sculpture

The bronze Tree of Life was created by the artist Lorenzo Quinn after a campaign by the association for a permanent memorial, and was donated to the city by the Halcyon Gallery, in partnership with the association and the council. It shows a tree emerging from a rock, with two outstretched hands holding the world above it, a symbol of peace after the war.

It was first unveiled on Edgbaston Street, near the Bull Ring Markets, on 8 October 2005, exactly 21 years before its return.

"A more prominent site"

Anita Ward, chair of the association and a former Lord Mayor, said: "We are delighted that the Tree of Life Memorial has now been installed in its new permanent home next to St Martin's in the Bullring. The memorial's more prominent site will ensure that the memory of those who lost their lives during the Birmingham Blitz remains visible and accessible to future generations."

"This is something BARRA's wanted since the Tree of Life was first created, so to see it in the new memorial garden is fantastic."

Councillor Deborah Harries, Cabinet Member for Culture, said: "Remembering those who lost their lives during conflict is a part of our history, which should not be forgotten. The Tree of Life memorial looks great in its new memorial garden."

Dan Murphy, destination director of the Bullring and Grand Central, said the new setting provided "a more peaceful place for people to come and remember and reflect all year round".

Remembering

For many years the association campaigned for Birmingham's air raid victims to be properly remembered, because the city's losses were long overshadowed by those of London and Coventry. Today, fewer people remain who remember the raids, which makes memorials like this, and the stories of those who lived through the Blitz, all the more important.

St Martin's itself was damaged by a bomb in April 1941, and the Bull Ring area around it was badly hit. Families who lost relatives in the raids, and anyone who wishes to pay their respects, can visit the memorial garden at any time.