A team of 14 colleagues from Fisher German have recently completed a corporate volunteer day at the National Memorial Arboretum, in Staffordshire, to support the restoration of one of the country’s most poignant memorials, ‘Shot at Dawn’.
The memorial commemorates 309 British and Commonwealth soldiers who were shot for desertion, cowardice, striking a senior officer, disobeying a lawful order, casting away arms, mutiny and sleeping at post during the First World War, but were later pardoned. It is deliberately located at the most easterly part of the Arboretum where the sun rises first.
The £45,000 restoration project involves replacing 309 wooden posts and name tags representing each soldier with posts made from durable, recycled materials to ensure the memorial is preserved for future generations.
Our Managing Partner, Andrew Bridge, was one of those who took part. He said: “It was fantastic working with a team of colleagues to remove and restore the current grounds, and the weather was kind to us which made the physical work a lot more pleasant.
“Volunteering is always incredibly rewarding but restoring such a poignant memorial to enable future generations to enjoy it felt even more worthwhile.”
Maria Howes, Head of Marketing and Business Development at the National Memorial Arboretum, added: “Our visitors regularly tell us how deeply affected they are by the Shot at Dawn Memorial, from the symbolism of its location and layout to the individual stories of the young men who were killed.
“Sadly, due to its location next to the River Tame, repeated flooding events have exacerbated the deterioration of the grounds and posts which have had to be replaced several times over the years.
“Fisher German team members alongside hundreds of other volunteers have been pivotal to our project to restore this iconic Shot at Dawn Memorial. Working together with our grounds team, often in challenging conditions, this force of volunteers has replaced the memorial’s 309 posts, while improving drainage and making the memorial more accessible.
“Their collective efforts have ensured that this memorial will be preserved for future generations.”
Find out more about the National Memorial Arboretum
