£1.25m gift gives boost to campaign for national Battle of the Atlantic monument in Liverpool

Plans to create the UK’s national memorial to the Battle of the Atlantic on Merseyside have received a major boost following a £1.25m donation.

Liverpool hosted the original command headquarters of the battle in a top secret war bunker beneath the city's streets, now home to the Western Approaches Museum.

The Battle of the Atlantic Memorial charity (BOAM) says the gift has been secured from the Naval Club to help develop a fitting national memorial on both sides of the River Mersey.

The campaign says the investment will allow the development of three new concepts around reflection, innovation and education.

A new International Battle of the Atlantic Arboretum will be created at Woodside Ferry terminal in Wirral in collaboration with Big Heritage, which operates Western Approaches.

The landscaped park will be part of wider plans to develop the U-Boat story visitor attraction and replace the ferry landing stage.

In addition, the funding will be used to create a Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) gallery and educational programme at the museum and the park.

Meanwhile, part of the donation will be used to create a Garden of Reflection at Liverpool Parish Church, Our Lady and St Nicholas on the Pier Head, known as the sailors’ church.

It is estimated that around 100,000 men and women died in the Battle of the Atlantic, the longest running campaign of the Second World War.

BOAM chairman Gary Doyle said the memorial will serve as a permanent high profile reminder to future generations of the "incalculable value of peace".

He added: "We are delighted to receive this donation from the Naval Club to ensure the Battle of the Atlantic is properly recognised and commemorated and thank its team very much. But after years of work there could not be a more poignant time for us to unveil these plans.

"The Russian invasion of Ukraine is showing us tragically that we cannot take peace in Europe or on the Atlantic for granted. World War Two is called the greatest catastrophe in human civilisation and without the success of the BOA Britain and Russia would almost certainly have been defeated.

"We want the memorial to act as a warning especially now to Russia and future generations of the consequences of conflict in Europe and how brutal dictatorships endanger the world. The war generation fought for peace and our memorial honours that today more than ever."

The Naval Club was founded in 1946 by members of the RNVR who had fought in the war and wanted a place to socialise and stay in London.

The premieses were sold last year with funds going to eight charities for specific projects.

Naval Club chairman Simon Wilson said: "I am delighted that we could support the BOAM charity as the RNVR contributed massively in the battle for our very survival, and a proper national memorial is long overdue. I must declare a personal interest as my father served in the RNVR in the Battle of the Atlantic and was a proud Liverpudlian."

Dean Paton, founder of Big Heritage and Western Approaches director said: “The Battle of the Atlantic was an international endeavour, but so much of the planning and logistics of campaign was centred around the River Mersey. We are delighted therefore to have received this support from the Naval Club to not only create a permanent memorial on both sides of the river, but also to create a new gallery within Western Approaches museum dedicated to the RNVR; an organisation that played a crucial role in the Second World War, but whose story has been somewhat overlooked by history.

"It will be our honour to tell it to future generations.”