Young Voices Honour Fallen Police Officers Through Poetry
A poetry competition organised by the National Memorial Arboretum is helping a new generation reflect on the courage, service and sacrifice of police officers and members of police staff who gave their lives in service to others.
As part of the Trust’s Education Programme, the competition was launched ahead of the Ceremony of Remembrance marking the fifth anniversary of the UK Police Memorial. It invited students aged 12 to 15 from local Staffordshire schools to write a poem commemorating the fallen.
Twenty-one poems were shortlisted, with the winning entry, ‘A Bird’, written by Holly from Paulet High School, chosen for its powerful and thoughtful reflection on remembrance.
Holly will read her winning poem during the UK Police Memorial’s fifth anniversary Ceremony of Remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum on Tuesday, 28th July, where families of the fallen, senior policing leaders and representatives from across the policing family will gather to honour those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
The competition forms part of the Police Arboretum Memorial Trust’s commitment to ensuring remembrance is passed from one generation to the next.
As a lasting legacy of the project, recordings of all 21 shortlisted poems, read by their young authors, will become part of the visitor experience at the UK Police Memorial. New listening devices installed at the Memorial will enable visitors to hear each poem in the voices of the students who wrote them, creating a powerful and personal connection between today’s young people and those whose service and sacrifice are commemorated there.
Gavin Stephens, Chair of the Police Arboretum Memorial Trust, said:
“Remembrance is not only about looking back; it is also about ensuring future generations understand the courage, service and sacrifice of those who gave their lives protecting others.
“The poetry competition has encouraged young people to reflect on what remembrance means, and the standard of the entries was exceptional. Holly’s winning poem, together with the other shortlisted entries, reminds us that the stories of those we honour continue to inspire people of all ages.
“By giving these poems, a home at the UK Police Memorial, we are creating a lasting legacy that will encourage visitors to pause, reflect and remember.”
Rachel Smith, Head of Learning and Participation at the National Memorial Arboretum said:
“This competition has shown just how powerfully young people can engage with stories of courage and sacrifice. Hearing these poems in the voices of the students who wrote them brings a deeply personal perspective to remembrance, and we hope they will encourage visitors to stop, listen and reflect in a new way.”
The poetry competition is part of a wider programme marking the fifth anniversary of the dedication of the UK Police Memorial in the presence of His Majesty The King, then HRH The Prince of Wales, in 2021.
‘A Bird’
A free bird is leaving its nest,
lifting into a sky that promises nothing.
It flies because others should not have to fear.
It flies because that is its duty.
The bird is moving without warning.
The struggle isn’t remembered,
only the absence of light,
and the silence that follows.
The free bird falls,
its flight cut short by violence.
Its song is left unfinished.
Back at the nest, the waiting begins to change.
Hope becomes disbelief.
Disbelief becomes grief.
A nest becomes empty.
A voice is remembered more clearly than it was ever heard.
But the sky does not belong to death.
Others will leave their nest tomorrow.
They will carry the memory of the bird that did not return.
The fallen bird is gone, but its flight is not forgotten.