Sidmouth’s stone memorials no temptation for war plaque thieves
THOSE caught stealing war memorial plaques should be punished, says Sidmouth’s chairman of the Royal British Legion.
“It is wrong for them to do it,” said Dave O’Connor, who said he was please all of the Sid Valley’s memorials were in stone.
“I appreciate the fact that a lot of people are out of work and finding things difficult, but to desecrate a memorial for financial gain is completely out of order, it just annoys me.”
He said all the memorial plaques were situated inside Sidmouth parish church and there were no bronze or brass plaques at the war memorials in either the town, Sidford, Sidbury or Salcombe Regis.
Other places have not been so lucky. In Twickenham, a three foot by two foot naval memorial plaque was stolen recently and in one church grounds, 170 plaques were taken.
Thefts of metal from war memorials, such as bronze statues of soldiers and marble rifles, are dramatically increasing.
The War Memorials Trust, supported by the Duchess of Cornwall, has now launched a campaign to stop it happening.
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