Maroon tulips are blooming across the district to honour its links with WWII paratroopers.
The Airborne Tulip Memorials are part of South Kesteven District Council’s developing Soldiers from the Sky military heritage trail, made possible by Lottery players.
The trail honours men of the British 1st Airborne Division, many of whom were billeted and trained locally before flying from airfields at Barkston Heath and Saltby for Operation Market Garden - the battle of Arnhem - in September 1944.
Tulips colour-matching the distinctive beret worn by British airborne forces are SKDC’s tribute to the bravery of thousands of troops engaged in the battle for the bridges in the Netherlands.
Grimsthorpe Castle, 1944 HQ for 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment, is one of many sites whose heritage is linked to the build up to Arnhem.
Other planting sites include SKDC’s Wyndham Park, St Vincent’s Church in Fulbeck, linked to 216 Airborne Signals Squadron, Fulbeck village, headquarters for 1st British Airborne Division, schools and churches.
Cheshire man Darren Key, whose grandfather fought at Arnhem, has developed the trail into an international floral tribute using the Attila Graffiti tulip for its distinctive colour.
