But how can we?

Sadly we do - forget, that is - and the National Memorial Arboretum (NMA) is a salutary reminder of the loss of lives that war brings. We visited there from our mooring at Alrewas on the Trent and Mersey Canal, catching a local bus (813) outside the George and Dragon.

A number of years ago we lived near RAF bases and John (as Vicar) was closely involved with his colleagues, who supported those who lived and worked there. One of John's churches then was St Eval Church, which has a long association with the RAF as it was on one of the war time airfields.

The Armed Forces Memorial at the NMA has lists of names of those who have died in conflicts from January 1st 1948 to the present day.

It is the central memorial and details can be found here - clickey click. We looked for the name of one of the pilots killed in the Gulf War, whose funeral was at St Eval Church. Once we found it it was a poignant reminder of those uncertain days during the war.

Armed Forces Memorial

Inside are some telling sculptures and a reminder that we all should remember the 11th hour of the 11 day of the 11th month.

Stretcher bearers and woman

Tending the wounded

The sunlight shines through the gap at this precise hour

Three other parts of the Arboretum were meaningful for us too. The Royal Air Force Association Memorial reminded us of Cornwall again.

RAFA Memorial

The Merchant Navy Convoy Memorial statistics are staggering - there are 2,535 oak trees, each representing a flagged merchant vessel that was lost in WWll. 31,908 seamen were lost (more than the total number from all the armed services). The mooring bollards there have a link with our present day boating - they are from Liverpool Docks.

Merchant Navy Convoy Memorial

Finally, but by no means least, is the Memorial to the Far East Prisoners of War, 55,000 of them in WWll, particularly those who were incarcerated in Changi Jail. Again this has links back to Cornwall and St Eval Church again as a wooden cross with an amazing story and the baptismal cover from the church at the Jail was presented to the church in 1971. By the way, the church website has a well known author (if you have been following our blog recently), a certain Gill from narrowboat Petroc! Click here to read Gill and Geoffs impressions of the NMA.

The Lych Gate was originally erected at the Jail by prisoners as a memorial to those fellow prisoners who died there.

Lych Gate

This stone was once part of the Jail

Inside a hut which is a replica of the kind at the Jail is a very moving exhibition about the FEPOWs. We were interested to see that a party of boys (or so they seemed to us), who were obviously from the Army, were intently reading every detail. Perhaps it was part of their officers training? I wonder what their feelings were as they walked around the Arboretum.

As we came away our overall feeling was of the futility of war and the waste of so many lives - we  honour those who defended our country, but find it difficult to see the reasons for some later conflicts. The NMA website gives much more detail - clickety click  More photos from our visit are here - clickety click

On that sombre note I leave you - but today we were back to cruising, another very long day with so many narrowboats on the move and moored along our route! Our Journey Blog will follow asap! 

Gosh, that was a really early start ......

I was still in bed when John cast off yesterday! I did have permission from him and our travelling companions, as I hate rushing around in the mornings and I do like my cuppa first thing!

However, when I eventually popped up out of the back hatch it was a lovely day again. I had missed Willington, Mercia Marina and the stop at the sani-station! I was awake enough to take over the camera in time for the River Dove aqueduct, with the lovely brick arched bridge carrying the Derby Road over the river too.

Derby Road Bridge from the aqueduct

The aqueduct was built by James Brindley in 1776, but I missed photographing the plaque on what looks like a WWll pill box at the end.

Burton on Trent has lost its industrial feel and the only hint of its past are the two breweries that stick up over the roofs of the houses. The 1885 Claymills Pumping Station would be worth a visit if it was in steam - wow, five Lancashire boilers (Crofton on the Kennet and Avon Canal has a Lancashire Boiler too!).

Claymills Pumping Station sign by Bridge 29

But only one boiler in working order! I had to content myself with this virtual tour - clickety click

We passed a canal side restaurant, come fast food "joint", and this sign on the towpath made us chuckle. However, I have heard boaters recently who referred to mooring as parking!

Parking sign

There is a mural at Horninglow Basin and two at Dallow Lock (7), our first narrow lock. It is right under a bridge and John had to stoop to cross the gates.

John at Dallow Lock

Ahead was Shobnall Fields, a very pleasant green interlude in Burton on Trent.  In 2011 the IWA National Waterways Festival will be held here and I am sure that the moorings will not be exclusively for geese!

Shobnall Fields

As we left Burton, we saw a taste of Cornwall - Westfield Transport from Truro at a huge distribution centre. Many a time we have seen them on the M5 and counted them as some count Stobbart lorries!

Westfield Transport lorries

At the rural Branston Lock, we met two BW "operatives" who were checking the paddle gear after a report of one being broken. Sadly for them, it was a waste of time as all the paddles were working, as Geoff proved as he came up behind us!

Geoff at Branston Lock

Tatenhill Lock is another rural lock and here I drooled over a car that was for sale. John kindly took a photo as I went to work the lock - he says he has put in an offer - ha ha!

E Type Jag

The Barton Turns area, where travellers would turn off the old Roman Road Ryknild Street to Barton under Needwood, is the large Barton Marina and then Barton Turn Lock. Here there were some "volunteer" lockies who helped us and another narrowboat through. It was the "nearest thing for the last two years that they could do to having a narrowboat themselves".

I think they left before Petroc arrived!

Wychnor Lock was the beginning of an interesting stretch - the bridge over the tail gave no hint of the wider waterway above. Beside the lock is a small old wooden warehouse and the remains of a small crane.

Wychnor Lock bridge

Above the lock we entered the River Trent again! It had been alongside the canal on and off since the beginning of the Trent and Mersey Canal. Once through the strangely shaped Cow Bridge, the canal curves around through the flood plain with towpath bridges lining the bank.

Cow Bridge

Footpath Bridges

The River leaves again over a large fast running weir - and the approach to Alrewas Lock becomes a little more canal like!

River Trent weir

We were fortunate to find a mooring above Alrewas Lock and after a little bit of narrowboat shuffling there was room for Petroc too. This is a very popular part of the Trent and Mersey Canal and we were glad that we had set out so early; we were moored up by just after 1pm and could watch all the other boats searching for moorings. I am amazed that there are still so many hire boats around; it must be the DINKies and the RSKH (retired, spending the kids' inheritance) brigades!

This was our first mooring before the "shuffle"

Trent and Mersey Canal, Willington to Alrewas

5 hours 55 minutes, 13.04 miles, 6 locks

To be back on canals again!

However yesterday was a very long slow day, as we became part of a narrowboat convoy up the last wide locks we will see for a bit. We had moored behind one of our blog readers at Shardlow - narrowboat 'Still Dreaming' - thanks for hailing us!

Shardlow is a really historic canal area, with old warehouses and wharfs. It was an inland port on the River Trent before the canal arrived and from 1788 to 1841 the population quadrupled, with workers supporting the canal trade on the horse-drawn working boats.

The salt warehouse is the oldest canal warehouse and is now Shardlow Heritage Centre

Salt warehouse

The Ropewalk building on the towpath side by towpath bridge 2a was where the Sutton Family and then the Henshalls produced rope.

Ropewalk building

The warehouses were named by letters and, although much of the port has been demolished, what has been preserved has found new uses. There is a map of the port in 1852 and a key to all the buildings here - clickety click

In fact, the Shardlow Heritage centre website makes fascinating reading - clickety click The much photographed "Clock Warehouse" was Navigation Wharf and "B" warehouse, and as everyone else has a photo here is one of mine -

Today's scene with modern boats

At Weston Lock, we joined a queue of 6 narrowboats and so it continued for the rest of the day! Two elderly single-handers at the front meant pretty slow going!

Weston Lock and Petroc ahead

Near Swarkestone, the remains of the Tudor Mansion at the area called "The Cuttle" stood out in the sunshine - clickety click for more information on this and Swarkestone which has links with Bonnie Prince Charlie.  Yet another place with a lot of history attached!

The Summer House or "Grandstand" at the Cuttle

Stensons Lock is the last wide lock and yet again we joined a queue!

An even longer queue!

Above the lock is the southern end of the old Derby Canal (we passed the northern end on the Erewash Canal) and this Motor Boat was waiting to enter as we came out.

MB Whitby

The impressive Toll House stands on the junction of the Derby Canal and the Trent and Mersey; it is now the home of Swarkestone Boat Club.

Toll House

We decided to call it a day before Willington, as it seemed that all the other narrowboats were heading there for the night! We found a good mooring after Buckford bridge (21) opposite what once was the Greyhound pub and is now a very nice Indian restaurant!

We spent a couple of pleasant hours in here having a drink with the other half of "Richlow" of the Richlow Guides, "written by people who have been there"), John Lower and his wife Barbara. The smells were very tempting but we had all eaten!

This is us moored up - with guard dog Barney, who was actually keeping an eye on Petroc too, who were moored in front of us.

Trent and Mersey Canal, Shardlow to Buckford Bridge 21

6 hours 45 minutes, 9.9 miles, 5 locks