The National Memorial Arboretum is just a short drive from Repton, and with Remembrance Day just round the corner it seemed a fitting time for Mafeking Explorers to pay a visit.

Walking out through Heroes Square the view of the site opens up, with memorials spreading out into the distance. Under a heavy grey sky we first ascended the steps to the centerpiece of the memorials, the Armed Forces Memorial. With its high curved walls engraved with the names of all of the members of the armed forces that have lost their lives in service since the Second World War.

We took a path that led us past the Polish Armed Forces Memorial, which was of particular interest to one of the Explorers in our unit given their Polish heritage. The path followed the banks of the River Tame, with memorial after memorial. The Basra Memorial Wall, the Shot at Dawn Memorial, the Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces Memorial, the Bastion Wall Memorial, the Naval Service Memorial, the Gulf War Memorial, the UK Police Memorial, the RAF Association Grove, the South Atlantic Medal Association Memorial. Every branch of service, every aspect of life. It seemed that every tree had been dedicated to someone.

Ultimately, we arrived at the Scouting Memorial, where our oldest Explorer placed our neckerchief. The Scouting Memorial remembers service given by Scouts across communities and throughout the Armed Forces and recognises the difference that Scouting has made.

The design features stone seating circling a roaring campfire. Three young Scouts, carved from solid stone, rest around the fire, while their adult leader watches over them. A lone neckerchief next to them represents all of the missing Scouts.