Memorial for 'Troubles' victims

Many different people are remembered at the site

As many as 3,000 relatives of security forces personnel killed during the Northern Ireland troubles are to attend the dedication of a major new memorial in England.

The Ulster Ash Grove, which is part of a national memorial in Staffordshire, will form a permanent tribute to members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, the armed forces and prison officers killed over the last 34 years.

Trees will be planted in memory of those who lost their lives in service during the violence.

The memorial comprises a three-metre tall central pillar of Mourne Granite surrounded by six boulders taken from the six counties in Northern Ireland, which are arranged to symbolise a map of the province.

Seats are located beside the pillar, where visitors can rest and reflect.

50,000 trees

The pillar is inscribed with the words: "In grateful memory to the men and women of the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC, the Armed Forces and other organisations in service of the Crown, who laid down their lives in the cause of peace in Northern Ireland 1969-2001."

Northern Ireland Secretary, Paul Murphy, security minister Jane Kennedy and the general officer commanding the Army in the province, Lieutenant General Philip Trousdell, will join relatives at the ceremony in September.

Senior figures from the four main churches in the province will jointly celebrate the dedication ceremony.

The Ulster Ash Grove forms part of the National Memorial Arboretum, a memorial to all the members of the British armed forces who were killed in service, which is located in the village of Alrewas, near Lichfield in Staffordshire.

The Ministry of Defence has planted 719 trees in the grove, each one representing the life of a soldier killed during the troubles.

A total of 29 trees have been planted in memory of the same number of officers in the Northern Ireland Prison Service who were killed since the start of the violence.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland has planted 38 trees, each one representing a former RUC sub-division.

The dedication ceremony will be held on the afternoon of Tuesday, 23 September.

More than 50,000 trees have been planted in the National Memorial Arboretum since work began on the 150-acre site in 1997.