The Imjin Veterans’ Memorial Group says it is thrilled to announce Forest of Dean District Council has granted full permission for its memorial to be installed in Cyril Hart Arboretum, Coleford. The memorial will commemorate all armed forces personnel who fought during the Korean War 1950 – 1953 and will feature the names of veterans associated with the Forest of Dean who fought in the pivotal Battle of Imjin River between April 22 – 25, 1951.

“We are delighted with the council’s decision to permit the Imjin Veterans’ Memorial to be installed in the Cyril Hart Arboretum,” said Roger Deeks, Deputy Lieutenant, Gloucestershire Lieutenancy and member of the memorial group.

“As well as being easy to access and centrally located within the Forest, the arboretum provides the perfect, contemplative setting for remembrance. We would like to thank Forestry England, Royal British Legion and Forest of Dean District Council for their valuable support and work to move this project forward.”

The Battle of the Imjin River is widely recognised as one of the most fierce and intense military actions involving British Forces and is revered to this day in the Republic of Korea for saving Seoul, the country’s capital, from communist occupation. Following the battle, over 500 soldiers, including men from the Forest of Dean, spent two and a half years in captivity in North Korea. The memorial design echoes the freedom archway through which the survivors passed on their release in 1953.

The three year Korean War was a conflict which raged between North Korea, supported by the Soviet Union and China, and South Korea, backed by the United Nations and the United States. The conflict ended in an armistice, but not a peace treaty, leaving the peninsula still divided to this day.

The Imjin Veterans’ Memorial Group is also delighted to announce that fundraising for the memorial, which began in October 2024, is now nearing its end.

“We are ready to commission the memorial,” said Julia Gooch, Chair of the Imjin Veterans’ Memorial Group. “The response to our fundraising appeal has been overwhelming and we would like to thank everyone who has donated or given up their time to organise events on our behalf. It’s great to see that there is such incredibly strong support for this memorial.”

Anyone wishing to contribute can do so by visiting the Imjin Veterans’ Memorial page on the Forest of Dean District Council website https://www.fdean.gov.uk/ImjinVeteranMemorial/ or https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/Imjinmemorial . A full list of donors will later be on display in the Forest of Dean District Council offices.

Fundraising concludes this autumn with Forest of Dean Brass Band holding a concert in aid of the memorial on Saturday, 20 September at 7 pm at All Saints Church, Viney Hill. Tickets will be available on the door or can be reserved by contacting Sharon Stratford ([email protected] or 01594564920).

The project group are planning to hold a public unveiling of the memorial to coincide with the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Imjin River in April 2026.