National Memorial Arboretum dedicates memorial to veterans who died by suicide

Hundreds of people have gathered at the National Memorial Arboretum for the dedication of a permanent tribute to veterans and armed forces personnel who have died by suicide.

The Elysium Memorial , at the site in Alrewas, Staffordshire, is the first permanent memorial of its kind to be built in the UK.

More than 1,300 military veterans and personnel have taken their lives in the last 30 years, with the memorial aiming to provide a place for contemplation for those affected by the loss of a friend or loved one.

Edward Mackenzie, co-founder of the Elysium Memorial Foundation, which is behind the project, said he was "blown away" by the number of people that had turned up.

More than 300 motorcyclist rode to the arboretum from Burton-on-Trent on Sunday, with a convoy organised by community organisation Wheels for Wishes.

Mackenzie, who served in the army for more than 30 years and has lost over to 20 friends to suicide, including his best friend, said seeing those veterans' being recognised "means everything".

"This is why I did it, I did for for the friends, the families, the comrades, those that we've lost to suicide," he told the BBC.

"There's a lot of families here today that have been thanking me for achieving this memorial so I'm incredibly grateful."

There were 277 cases of veterans taking their own lives between 2006 and 2025, according to the Ministry of Defence.

"Any death by suicide is a tragedy that is felt across our community, and our thoughts are with those who have been impacted by the loss of a loved one," a spokesperson said.

"The welfare of our armed forces is at the heart of everything we do - more than £25m invested into Op Courage in the last year and our £50m Valour programme gives veterans in England access to specialist NHS mental health services and access to essential care, continuing our steadfast commitment to provide our forces and their families the wellbeing support they deserve."

Following the ceremony, people at the arboretum were invited to lay their own wreaths at the memorial.

Mackenzie said he was "very emotional" about the size of the turnout.

"I'm lost for words a lot of the time and I hope that this memorial will really help towards the mental health and families and basically taking the word suicide out of the shadows," he explained.

"I think that we still have amazing work to do to try and help everyone."

If you have been affected by the contents of the article, support is available through the BBC Action Line website .

Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds , Facebook , X and Instagram .

Veteran suicide memorial to travel to arboretum

Arboretum's name change faces veterans' backlash

National Memorial Arboretum to change its name

Arboretum light trail marks WW2 anniversary