Frodsham's anger after war memorial is vandalised

Jun 4 2009 by Barry Ellams, Chester Chronicle

Town anger after war memorial is vandalised

POLICE and community leaders are determined to track down ‘despicable’ vandals who defaced Frodsham’s landmark war memorial.

Names – including The Boys, Jacko, Tim, Baz, Webster and Paddy 09 - have been roughly scratched into the entire surface of a sandstone block at the top of the tall obelisk that stands on Overton Hill in honour of 126 sons of Frodsham who fought and died in two world wars.

Vandals struck on Wednesday and Thursday last week – days after scaffolding was erected around the memorial and work began on a £13,600 restoration, funded by the town council and a special grant, to repoint the sandstone blocks, clean and re-wax slate names plaques and repaint the original iron railings surrounding the 88-year-old structure.

The conservation team who discovered the damaged reported it to police and have supplied several close-up photographs of the scrawled names.

Town clerk Alison Kunaj said: “It’s just terrible what they’ve done, it makes me so angry.

“And the conservation team have told me there’s not much they can do to repair the damage, which is awful. Because the graffiti has been scratched on, all they can do is put an acrylic wash over it that will make it fade in time, but that will take at least twelve months.”

Mrs Kunaj said a memorial bench on the hill had also been vandalised.

Frodsham deputy mayor Cllr Brian Lloyd said: “They’ve broken through the fence and climbed up the scaffolding right to the top, which was a very dangerous thing to do.

“But by doing what they’ve done, they’ve shown absolutely no respect for these Frodsham men who gave their lives defending our country, and theirs are the only names that should appear on our memorial.

“This is urgent restoration work being done and money well spent, and the conservation team are doing an excellent job. Then people like this want to destroy all that now, and that’s terrible – but they won’t get away with it.”

Community Police Inspector Phil Hodgson said: “This is a particularly despicable thing. The whole community feels it when something like this happens and it’s a priority for us to trace the offenders.

“I’d like people to contact us if they know who is responsible, and to the offenders I say: You might want to come to see us before we come to see you!”