VETERANS have voiced their disgust after a mindless vandal defaced a memorial to Southend’s war dead.

A yob has sprayed graffiti over the Cenotaph, in Clifftown Parade, just weeks before the First World War centenary commemorations on Remembrance Sunday.

The vandalism comes as Southend Council began a £120,000 restoration of the town’s war memorials.

Alfred Fowler, 91, of Sutton Road, Southend, who served on cruiser HMS Sheffield during the Second World War, said: “I’m flabbergasted. I would think it would be demoralising if the soldiers who died, or their families, knew.

“They deserve to get a wallop if that was allowed.”

Doug Shelley, 88, of Gayton Road, Southend, who served on destroyer the HMS Milne during the war, said: “It’s bloody disgusting.

If I got hold of them, I’d vandalise them.

“They are morons.”

Retired Royal Marine John Jones, 83, of Southend, said: “If they get hold of the culprits, they should make them clean it up.

No matter how young they are, they have got to learn.”

The moniker “Biss” and a crude picture of a monkey wearing a crown have been daubed in blue paint on a wall at the bottom of the seaward side of the memorial, above Southend Cliff Gardens.

Council staff discovered the graffiti late on Wednesday and have vowed to remove it with the utmost urgently.

Council leader Ron Woodley said: “Southend Cenotaph is an extremely significant monument, which is far more than a piece of history.

“It stands in continual tribute to the men and women in our borough who made the supreme sacrifice and shows they will never, ever, be forgotten.

“The people who have so recklessly damaged it have shown massive disrespect – not just to the families of those honoured by this memorial – but to everyone with relatives who laid down their lives in the service of their country.”

The council has contacted the police to report the incident.

Mr Woodley added: “The tag is clearly visible, so I would urge anyone who recognises it or knows who did this to report it to the police on 101.”

 

Restoratiion will be complete in time for service

THE Cenotaph will be fully restored in time for Remembrance Sunday, the council has pledged.

The memorial is shrouded in scaffolding as experts repair and preserve the Grade II listed structure.

Southend Council has pledged to finish the restoration ahead of the commemorations despite the setback. Council leader Ron Woodley said: “We are horrified this ugly graffiti has scarred our Cenotaph just weeks away from Remembrance Sunday.

“It is even more tragic the vandals have struck just as the Cenotaph was undergoing conservation work to coincide with the centenary of the start of the First World War. This was specially planned to ensure it would be preserved in the best possible condition for many generations to come.

“This graffiti will be swiftly removed and the Cenotaph renovation programme will continue, ready for Remembrance Sunday on November 9.”

The war memoral was built in 1920 to commemorate those who lost their lives in the First World War and was designed by the famous English architect Sir Edwin Lutyens.

He was also responsible for the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London.

The council is also restoring the war memorial in Campfield Road, Shoebury.