Alton Town Council have planted 63 new ‘Peace’ Roses around the Cairn War Memorial to replace the ‘Burma Star’ roses that have been in situ for many decades but sadly due to old age were in decline and needed replacing.
All of the original roses have found new homes and whilst they were in decline a number of local residents have chosen to rehome with the hope of reinvigorating growth by attempting to strengthen the plants (that have grown weakly on their own root systems) using the grafting technique
Many were given to residents who had a second world war veteran family member who was awarded a Burma Star military campaign medal from serving in the Burma Campaign (1941- 45) and a dozen more were gifted to residents at Alton’s Orchard House, an assisted living retirement complex t The last 8 roses were donated to Sparsholt Horticultural College in the hope that cuttings can be taken form the roses as the variety is no longer available to purchase to grow new healthy ‘Burma Star’ roses.
With thanks to Hampshire County Councillor Andrew Joy for his generous community grant and to the Royal British Legion Club in Alton for supporting the project. The 63 new ‘Peace’ Roses have now been planted in the beds next to the War Memorial on Alton’s High Street.
The David Austen ‘Peace’ Hybrid Tea Roses were chosen not only for their name but also because of their meaningful historical connection with the second world war. The ‘Peace’ rose was developed by French horticulturalist Francis Meilland, in the years 1935 to 1939. When Meilland foresaw the German invasion of France, he sent cuttings to friends in Italy, Turkey, Germany, and the United States to protect the new rose. It is said that it was sent to the US on the last plane available before the German invasion, where it was safely propagated by the Conard Pyle Co. during the war.
