Thieves steal naval war plaques

[Kyt]

Swines

BBC NEWS | England | Devon | Thieves steal naval war plaques

Thieves who desecrated a war memorial by stealing four plaques bearing the names of the war dead have been described as the "lowest of the low".

One bronze plaque was stolen from the naval war memorial on Plymouth Hoe, Devon, hours after a Veterans' Day event on Sunday.

Three more were stolen overnight and a fifth has been damaged.

Veterans and families of serving personnel have angrily condemned the callous thieves.

The plaques, which are valued at about £2,000 each, are currently being restored.

Sculptor Andy Mitchell, who has been employed by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) to carry out the restoration, discovered the second theft at about 0830 BST.

He said he was in a complete state of shock.

"It's just so sad and I just don't know what else to say," he told BBC News.

"My first priority is to contact the War Graves Commission to tell them what's happened."

Mr Mitchell said it was a very deliberate act, as the plaques were not easy to remove.

"The plaques have a list of marines who died serving their country and for someone to do this and try to sell it for scrap is just beyond words," he said.

"If the families get hold of whoever's responsible, I don't know what would happen."

Former Royal Marine Daniel "Dusty" Millar, 80, from Plympton, said it was impossible to comprehend the mindset of the thieves.

"It's outrageous that anyone could carry out such a wicked act which will cause such distress to the friends and families of our war heroes," he said.

James Cockburn, the stepfather of 21-year-old Plymouth Royal Marine Ben McBean, who lost an arm and a leg when a mine exploded during a patrol in Afghanistan said the thefts were "hideous and disgraceful".

Peter Francis, a spokesman for the CWGC, said he was shocked and disgusted.

Security measures

"To lose the first was bad enough, but what has happened overnight truly beggars belief," he said.

"We will definitely be taking steps to secure the remaining panels and will be writing to local authorities, asking them for help with this situation."

John Pentreath, the manager of the Devon Royal British Legion, said it was a "despicable act" and described the thieves as the "lowest of the low".

Police have appealed to anyone with information to contact them.

[morse1001]

My gut reation is to find the mindless bastards and put them up against a brick wall and shoot them at dawn for a fortnight. Then send them to bed without supper!

[John]

Mate if they catch these rotten people they should be given to the army to deal with them.

[Kyt]

Navy in this case...is keelhauling still allowed?

[morse1001]

Originally Posted by Kyt

Navy in this case...is keelhauling still allowed?

Sadly Not! With there now being women on ships they could not even face the "golden Rivet"!

[Kyt]

BBC NEWS | England | Devon | Stolen war plaque cut into four

A plaque stolen from a Devon war memorial and later recovered by police has been cut into four pieces.

The recovered plaque was stolen from the naval war memorial on Plymouth Hoe, Devon, hours after a Veterans' Day event on Sunday.

Three more were stolen overnight and a fifth has been damaged.

A scrap metal dealer in the Plymouth area, who does not want to be identified, contacted police and the plaque was recovered from him.

The plaque is now going to be forensically examined in a bid to find out who stole it.

Police said the plaque, listing the names of some of the city's war dead, had been cut into four pieces and someone had tried to grind some of the names away. Veterans and families of serving personnel had angrily condemned the thefts.

The plaques, which are valued at about £2,000 each, were being restored.

[Kyt]

'An insult to the memory of war heroes'

WAR veterans were close to tears as they viewed the desecration of the Plymouth Naval Memorial yesterday.

A 92-year-old veteran of the Dunkirk evacuation and the Normandy landings struggled to speak. “It's the emotion,” said the man, who did not want to be named.

“I come here nearly every day with my memories. My school friends' names are here. This is desecration, without a doubt.”

Another veteran, Dennis Chapman, 83, said angrily: “I'd like to get these people and give them a few weeks of Royal Marines training.

“I doubt they would stand it for two minutes because people who can do this have no conscience and no guts.”

Mr Chapman, who was with the Royal Marines during the Second World War, said: “It makes me feel sick that people could do this for a few pounds. These servicemen gave their lives, and all it's worth to the criminals is a few pounds of scrap.”

Some of his comrades who died in the war are among the 20,000 names on the memorial.

“I come up here often,” Mr Chapman said. “I check my mates' memorials and give them a polish with a nail file if they need it.”

Mr Chapman was a founding member of the Royal Marines Association and attended the Veterans Day ceremonies on the Hoe at the weekend.

Claude Miller, 93, city councillor for Efford and Lipson and an ex-serviceman, said: “I feel very upset. We know the sacrifice made by the people who are commemorated on this memorial, and we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for their quality and bravery.

“I hope the police find and punish these criminals. They must have warped minds.”

Ron Martin, 85, who was in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps with the Eighth Army during the invasion of Sicily in 1943, said: “It's an insult. To do a thing like this is terrible.

“To me it's desecration. Youngsters don't seem to understand what it's all about – people died for the freedom they've got.”

As three more bronze plaques honouring war dead are stolen from the Naval Memorial on the Hoe, reporters KEITH ROSSITER and DOMINIC JEFF talk to veterans, the police and relatives about the crime that has been branded a ‘cowardly act of desecration’

A reward has been offered in the hunt for criminals who desecrated the Plymouth Naval Memorial.

And police warned the thieves who have struck twice at the memorial on the Hoe: “You have made us very, very angry.” “We are following active leads,” Superintendent John Green, police commander for south and central Plymouth, said yesterday, hours after thieves attacked the memorial again.

One plaque was ripped off the wall over the weekend, just hours after Plymouth celebrated National Veterans Day.

The thieves returned on Monday night and took three more and damaged another trying to steal it.

The plaques, commemorating servicemen who have no known grave, were crudely wrenched off the wall of the memorial, snapping the metal bolts holding them in place. “My colleagues and I are taking it very seriously,” Supt Green said. “Here is a memorial to people who gave their lives.

Criminals such as this are despicable. There is a great deal of enthusiasm to apprehend them. “They deserve to go to jail.

I have been with the police around the country for 22 years and I have never seen anything like this.” Crimestoppers has offered a “substantial” reward for information to help police catch the criminals.

Bob Widdecombe, South West regional chairman of Crimestoppers, said: “This is a particularly despicable crime, but one that’s on the increase because of the rising price of scrap metal. “Anyone with information should ring us anonymously on 0800 555111 quoting police reference EC/08/7162.”

He urged scrap metal dealers to be on the lookout for the bronze plaques. Three of them measure 3ft by 3ft and weigh around 40kg.

The fourth is half the size. Police appealed for any member of the public who saw someone on the Hoe carrying a weighty object to contact them.

The stolen plaques were on a section of wall engraved with the words: “These ranks and ratings died on shore but have no known grave.” Plymouth City Council Cabinet member Cllr Glenn Jordan, who served in the Royal Navy, said: “I’m absolutely mortified, especially as it came so soon after we had a successful Veterans’ Day weekend. “I can’t understand the mentality.

Everyone is shocked and appalled at the theft of these plaques. “The memorial commemorates the lives of men who died serving their country and who had no known graves, making this act even more despicable.

Plymouth owes so much to these brave men and this disregard for their enormous sacrifice – not to mention the heartache this will cause for friends and families – defies belief. “We will of course do everything we can to help the police with their investigations and will be working with them and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to explore possible ways of reducing the risk of this happening again. “I just hope that the criminals come to their senses and realise the people whose names were there were real people who gave their lives for us. “These thieves should look into their own hearts.”

A spokesman for the War Graves Commission said: “We are shocked and angered. We are outraged at this cowardly and selfish act of desecration.

The men named on the stolen panels sacrificed all they had for their country and deserve to have a fitting and honoured memorial. “The level of disrespect shown by the thieves, not only to these brave sailors but to their families and comrades left behind, is appalling. “We would appeal to anyone with information on the stolen panels to contact the police immediately.”

Restorer Andy Mitchell, who is cleaning the memorial for the War Graves Commission, first reported the thefts to police. He said the stolen plaques weighed about 40kg each and the thieves could expect to get about £5 a kilogramme for the scrap metal.

The bigger plaques on the monument would be much harder for the thieves to steal because they are set into the stone, he said.

Last night Mr Mitchell removed the three remaining vulnerable plaques until a long-term solution could be found – which will probably involve setting them into the stone too. “This is a popular memorial.

We get about 200 people a day looking at it,” he said. “There are around 20,000 names, so a lot of people have connections. “It’s not just Plymothians, but people from all over the world. “For some, it’s the only reminder they have of relatives who died in the war.” Peter Francis, a War Graves Commission spokesman, said replacements would cost about £2,000 a plaque and as the work is done by a foundry in Australia, it would take “months, not weeks”.

The commission manages thousands of memorials and cemeteries around the world, but Mr Francis said this was the first theft of its kind. “Usually it’s pieces of sculptures. There’s something sacred about the names themselves,” he said.

Mr Mitchell, who began the three-month restoration programme for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission this week, said: “It’s more sorrow than anger I feel.” Police have already started making enquiries among local scrap metal dealers and are alerting communities in the area to be on the look-out.

Supt Green appealed to the public for information. he added: “Plymouth has a long and proud tradition of association with the Armed Forces, and particularly the Navy. “The city has a good CCTV system that is being examined now.

There are also effective number plate recognition cameras.” He said the police would also be able to get fingerprints from the memorial. Brian Cumming, chairman of the Devon branch of the Royal British Legion, who visited the memorial yesterday afternoon, said: “It’s deplorable and we’re very upset.

We in the Legion are extremely angry that somebody should even think of doing this, let alone actually do it.”

[CTNana]

I honestly don't know which I find the more despicable, desecration by mindless ignorant yobs or what appears to be desecration for mercenary gain.

[Kyt]

BBC NEWS | England | Devon | Two arrested over memorial thefts

[morse1001]

Originally Posted by Kyt

BBC NEWS | England | Devon | Two arrested over memorial thefts

Glad to see that there has been some action on the matter! I hope they find the rest and publicly humiliate the miscreants!