A Day To Remember
My name is Robert Austin Graves, better known to my friends as Aussie. I am the chairman of the Liverpool Branch of the Burma Star Association. Before I embark on my story I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our members for their continuing support and to congratulate all those who have served before us for a job well done!
The Liverpool branch of the Burma Star Association was formed back in March 1952 in a pub in Lime Street, Liverpool. Little did I know but some 54 years later in yet another pub in Liverpool my lifelong dream and wish was about to begin its journey of life.
For many, many years there have been gardens at the back of the famous St George’s Hall in Liverpool city centre known as St John’s Gardens after the church which once occupied the site .These gardens have many different memorial plaques and stones commemorating various people, regiments and battles. Unfortunately there was never one remembering all the people who bravely fought and gave there lives during the Burma War. I had always longed for there to be some sort of memorial to remember the soldiers who gave their all, and to remind and teach the children of tomorrow what their forefathers had gone through before them.
One early evening in April 2006 I was enjoying a couple of beers (as is traditional of course), in my local watering hole with a couple of friends. This young lady approached me and asked if I was the gentleman who used to have a little dog called Bonnie. To my amazement I replied yes and begging forgiveness asked how she new me. To my astonishment it was the same young lady whom some 20 years earlier and still at school at the time, had served me with my Sunday papers every week for quite some years. From that moment on an old friendship was rekindled and new friends gained.
A couple of weeks later I was enjoying a few drinks with my “paper lady” – Ann and her partner Dave, catching up and reminiscing on times gone by. I had been to one of our Burma Star meetings the previous evening and was telling them about the association, and our work. I also happened to mention that it had been a dream of mine and several other members to have a memorial stone placed in St John’s Gardens commemorating The Burma War. Quite a few of our members had tried on previous occasions to accomplish this but unfortunately to no avail. Little did I know that that friendly chat was to be the beginning of something that I never could have imagined or believed possible.
A couple of weeks passed by before I saw Ann and Dave again but it was a meeting I will never forget. Ann informed me that after our last chat she had made some enquiries – I later found out rather a lot of them to be exact, but she had been in touch with Liverpool City Council and they had agreed to look into the possibility of a memorial stone being placed in the gardens.
The coming weeks and months felt like a lifetime, it seemed every time I saw Ann and Dave there was still no news – I think you will all agree with me, when you want something so badly the waiting is all the more unbearable! Then out of the blue one September morning I received a telephone call from Ann saying that the council had agreed for us to have a plaque placed in the gardens and they had also put us in touch with a stonemason who had made several other stones already there. Ann neglected to tell me though that the initial costing had been put at approximately £2500 – she didn’t want to spoil my excitement. Several emails and a week later Ann then gave me the most amazing news ever, the stonemason had agreed to do the stone at no cost to ourselves, and because of this the council had also agreed there would be no charge on their behalf either!!!
I was totally astounded by this and had a smile as wide as the Mersey!
Ann and I made a couple of visits to the stonemasons where we sat down with Dave Hollywood – the owner, and we came up with a design which we thought very fitting. We also met with a couple of gentlemen from the council to agree on a setting for the stone within the gardens. I believe we could not have got a better setting if we had tried – it was perfect.
It is at this point I would like to say a very special thank you to Dave Hollywood of Manor Monumentals in Walton for his deep generosity and to Derek Dottie and Dale Willis of Liverpool City Council for all their help in making this possible.
I have to admit, in the beginning I was dubious of this ever coming to fruition but as time passed by, and Ann kept giving me good news I began to believe that this really was possible. I have learned since that if I open my mouth in front of Ann, things will happen in a big way- this lady knows no bounds! Unbeknown to me Ann had also been in touch with the Lord Mayors office and arranged for the Lord Mayor of Liverpool to unveil our stone for us.
One of the proudest days of my life came on Friday 10th November 2006 at 1130am in St John’s Gardens Liverpool. In the presence of all those members whom were able to attend, the Lord Mayor of Liverpool proudly unveiled our Burma Star memorial stone. We finally had our own space within the garden were we as soldiers could go and gather our thoughts, commemorate our friends and comrades, and families could remember their loved ones.
A couple of weeks later our then secretary Mr Mike Hickman donated a Burma Star rose bush which the council kindly planted for us behind the stone. As you can see it is growing strong!
It goes without saying that the kindness of Dave Hollywood at Manor Monumentals and Liverpool City Council is most greatly appreciated but without the ingenuity and tireless work of Ann Lloyd none of this would ever have been possible. I could never have imagined that a lifelong dream could actually come true!
The Kohima Epitaph reads “When you go home, Tell them of us and say, For your tomorrow, We gave our today”. These words could not be more true. In Ann we have a lady whom is some 50 years my junior. She listened with genuine intent to all my stories; acknowledged what we sacrificed for everyone’s freedom today and set about ensuring our legacy remained forever.
I know myself and every other member of the Burma Star Association would like to say a very heartfelt thank you to Ann for all her hard work and dedication.
Each and every member of the Liverpool Branch of the Burma Star Association can now rest in the knowledge that although we may have served in the “Forgotten War” – in Liverpool, we shall never be far from people’s hearts and thoughts and most certainly never forgotten.
