Burma veterans exhibition open at National Memorial Arboretum

A new photographic exhibition, Burma Veterans: Unforgettable, is open at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.

The new exhibition, created by photographer Wendy Aldiss, was reportedly inspired in part by her personal connection to the conflict; her father was part of the British Army’s Second Infantry Division that was deployed to Burma (now Myanmar) in World War Two.

The exhibition pays tribute to those British and Allied forces who fought in Burma, who became known as The Forgotten Army. Wendy Aldiss photographed over 200 allied Burma Veterans in the UK and a small selection in Myanmar during 2015, as part of a programme marking the 70th anniversary of the end of conflict in the Far East.

Images include informal environmental portraits, formal portraits and photographs of memorabilia. The exhibition also includes some of the actual memorabilia featured in the show.

Burma Veterans: Unforgettable is on display until 25th February 2018. Entry to the exhibition is included in the cost of entry to the Arboretum’s permanent exhibition, Landscapes of Life, which also includes use of an audio guide for use around the site.

There is a group rate for the Landscapes of Life exhibition which includes access to the Burma exhibition, too.

Wendy Aldiss, said: “The National Memorial Arboretum is the right place to mark the contribution that these brave men and women made for their country during the arduous Burma Campaigns. I am delighted that my photographic collection is being exhibited there and thus giving so many interested visitors the opportunity to reflect on the service record of the Forgotten Army.

“In both Britain and Myanmar I have been told how important this project is to the Veterans and their families and I feel humbled by the significance they have given it.”

For further information visit www.thenma.org.uk.

(Photo credit: Wendy Aldiss).