VIDEO: Fury as CCTV shows vandals destroying silent soldier memorial

SHOCK and disgust has been vented towards teenage vandals who attacked a silent soldier memorial in Blackfield, decapitating it and cutting it in half.

The aluminium silhouette, which was one of many erected across the country last year to mark the centenary of the First World War, was targeted outside Gang Warily Recreation & Community Centre during the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Fawley Parish Council staff arriving for work that day discovered it lying in pieces outside the youth shelter on the opposite side of the road from its position outside the entrance to the Newlands Road centre where it had stood since June last year.

Parish clerk Steve Postlethwaite told the A&T: “I just couldn’t believe it. Why would anyone want to do so much damage to a respectable memorial to all those soldiers who sacrificed so much during the First World War?

“I couldn’t believe how someone could be so disrespectful.”

CCTV footage from the centre’s cameras, which has been passed to police, revealed the offenders struck between 3am and 3.30am on Tuesday.

“For me, I just can’t believe children would find this sort of behaviour acceptable and I would question what children would be doing out at this time of the morning,” Mr Postlethwaite continued.

“Their parents must wonder where they are, at least you’d like to think they would.”

The clerk expressed regret that the silhouette – the only one purchased for Blackfield’s part in marking the centenary – cannot be replaced as they are no longer being made.

For this year’s Remembrance commemorations, he revealed the Fawley Men’s Shed group, based at Gang Warily, is making about 500 poppies to spread around the area. Some of these had been due to be placed around the soldier.

Mr Postlethwaite said this was the latest in a spate of vandalism incidents that have plagued the centre, causing thousands of pounds of damage. He believed these had increased sharply in the past year.

“They’ve broken play equipment, they’ve undone the bolts on climbing frames so people could fall though, and they’ve snapped a seat in half. They’ve showed a total disregard,” he continued.

“They’re starting fires on our land – they tried setting fire to the stands for Blackfield and Langley Football Club, causing a lot of damage.

“I think it’s fair to say that most of this is emanating from the youth shelter in Newlands Park at the other side of the road from Gang Warily.”

The clerk believed many of the offences were being influenced by alcohol and drugs, judging by the type of rubbish outside the centre on “a daily basis”, including drinks bottles, cans and drugs paraphernalia including bongs and nitrous oxide canisters.

Three of the past incidents had so far resulted in youngsters being arrested, he said, with one of these having involved an arson attack on a litter bin. The other two had involved fire doors being damaged and rat bait boxes being tampered with.

Although stressing the parish council had a very good relationship with the police, Mr Postlethwaite commented that cutbacks were having a drastic effect on how they tackled crime.

“Unfortunately, the police have had their numbers cut – they’re doing their best, but they can’t be everywhere,” he said.

The silent soldier had been purchased by the Royal British Legion, with its £250 cost solely funded by local county councillor Alexis McEvoy.

Cllr McEvoy said she was “horrified” by the news and expressed serious concerns about how the youngsters responsible had been brought up to carry out such an act.

“There is clearly no understanding of why the silent soldier is there and there is no understanding of the freedoms that were fought for,” she told the A&T.

“Without those freedoms those young people would not have been able to do what they chose to do. Freedoms come with responsibilities and they should learn some respect.”

Calling on the parents of the offenders to clamp down on their children’s behaviour, Cllr McEvoy suggested they could even make them stand up and apologise at a future parish council meeting.

More than 100 people took to Facebook to express their anger and disgust at the vandals in comments to posts shared on the Fawley Parish Council and Gang Warily centre pages.

One post said: “This is disgusting. Do these young people have no respect for what all our service personnel do and have done for us? Just so they can do this and think is funny.

“Maybe they should bring back national service it might make them think again.”

This was the latest in a number of attacks on the centenary silhouettes. As reported in the A&T, vandals in Marchwood wrecked one depicting a suffragette, and a silent sailor was decapitated in Christchurch in June.

Police investigating the latest silent soldier vandalism are urging people to come forward if they may have witnessed any suspicious activity around the time it took place.

Anyone with information should contact Hampshire officers on 101, quoting crime reference number 44190304085, or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.