The LGBT+ Armed Forces Community Memorial, dedicated at the National Memorial Arboretum in October 2025, marks a significant milestone of recognition, healing, and remembrance.
Its origins lie in a heartfelt recommendation submitted by Fighting With Pride to Lord Etherton during his appointment to lead the 2023 Independent Review into the service and experience of LGBT Veterans. This recommendation was incorporated into the final Etherton Report, which examined the mistreatment of personnel under the pre-2000 ban on their service, and was subsequently accepted by the government.
The memorial honours all those who served and who serve today, especially those who suffered under unjust and cruel policies. Lord Etherton aimed not only to acknowledge the harm caused, but also to create a lasting symbol of inclusion and pride for the entire LGBTQ+ armed force’s community – both past and present – including future generations.
In response, a comprehensive community engagement programme was launched, involving in-person workshops, online discussions, and a national survey of LGBTQ+ veterans and serving personnel. These insights informed the design process, ensuring it reflected the real experiences and voices of the community.
A diverse steering group, comprising veterans and serving personnel, Fighting With Pride, experts from LGBTQ+ and military charities, the Royal British Legion, the National Memorial Arboretum, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and specialist artists, brought this vision to life. The Royal Society of Sculptors played a vital role in refining the design brief and facilitating a national design competition. From this, 38 high-quality entries were received, showcasing a rich pool of artistic talent.
After a rigorous judging process – including face-to-face interviews with shortlisted artists – the winning design, “An Opened Letter”, was selected. Created by the Abraxas Academy artist collective, the sculpture was unveiled during a ceremony in HMS WELLINGTON on the River Thames in January 2025.
The design of the memorial is deeply symbolic.
It features a monumental “An Opened Letter” crafted as a pierced, aluminium bronze, free-standing sculpture – set upon a dedicated landscaped base of British York stone. The letter embodies a powerful transformation: it shifts from a symbol of shame, punishment, and exclusion, where letters were used as evidence against LGBTQ+ personnel, to one of pride, beauty, and honour.
The design represents “An Opened Letter” of love and devotion, which was once used to shame individuals, containing words from personal testimony and evidence collected from those who experienced discrimination, exclusion, or even loss of life, due to their true identities. Some words, tragically, were expressions of love from loved ones, while others became tools of persecution, ending careers or leading to prosecution.
Visitors can walk around the sculpture, drawn to its darkened interior from a distance, engaging with the concealed words, both positive and negative, hidden within its surface. Inside, visitors find the shadowed words of hardship and injustice, juxtaposed with the bright, reflective surface of hope and progress encouraging reflection on the journey towards acceptance and equality.
Created with deep emotional engagement, the hand carved, British York Stone base bears three powerful and meaningful dedications:
Dedication 1 – Inclusive of past, present and future:
“FOR ALL VETERAN, SERVING AND FUTURE MEMBERS OF HM ARMED FORCES’ LGBT+ COMMUNITY”
Dedication 2 – Reflective of veteran experience:
“IN RECOGNITION OF ALL LGBT+ VETERANS, WHO SERVED, SUFFERED AND SACRIFICED”
Dedication 3 – Forward looking for current and future serving:
“FOR ALL WHO SERVE PROUDLY TODAY AND TOMORROW, REGARDLESS OF WHO THEY ARE OR WHO THEY LOVE”
Construction of the memorial included moments of profound connection
LGBTQ+ veterans and serving personnel visited Holkham Forge in Norfolk during the sculpture’s fabrication, each hammering a mark into the bronze base, symbolically linking themselves to the memorial.
In July, the installation phase began with a symbolic groundbreaking at the National Memorial Arboretum. Royal Navy veteran and FWP Memorial Project Officer Roly Woods spoke movingly about the memorial’s significance, as veteran Gwen Pettigrew (Army) and serving Able Seaman Brad Elwood (Royal Navy) each turned the first sod.
The historic and poignant dedication ceremony combined members of the LGBTQ+ armed forces community attending from across the UK, alongside distinguished guests. The memorial stands as a lasting tribute embodying service, sacrifice, resilience, and ongoing progress in the pursuit of equality and recognition.
