Councillor slams 'abhorrent' Tommy silhouette damage
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A SILHOUETTE of a soldier at a Moray war memorial has been damaged for the second time in a fortnight, prompting outrage from local residents and community leaders.
Council staff have been forced to remove the Tommy figure from New Elgin War Memorial after it was found bent completely out of shape on Monday.
Elgin City South Councillor John Divers said the local authority's lands and parks team had already fixed the figure, which commemorates the men and women who lost their lives in the First World War.
Cllr Divers, who served in the Royal Naval Air Service, said: "It is absolutely disgusting that this kind of thing happens.
"People have died to give people the freedom they have now and this is happening. You do have to wonder what the mindset is of those responsible. It is just abhorrent."
His outrage was echoed by local residents, who expressed their shock over the damage on social media.
A council spokesperson said the earlier damage to the silhouette, which cost £760 to buy plus installation costs, was sustained at the beginning of last week.
It is hoped the silhouette can be fixed ahead of the Remembrance Sunday service at the New Elgin Memorial, which will this year take place at the later time of 2.30pm.
Council leader Graham Leadbitter, also Elgin City South, urged anyone with information to contact the police.
He said: "Mindless vandalism is always distressing for the community but especially so when it is in graveyards or, in this case, at a war memorial.
"I would urge anyone who has seen anything concerning in the area to report it to Police Scotland. Council staff have already repaired the Tommy once following vandalism and they will do their best to fix it again, however it is more damaged this time and may be harder to fix.
"I sincerely hope that those responsible are caught and perhaps the biggest impact on them would be an education on the horror of war, what it meant being a soldier in the 1st and 2nd World Wars and the impact that the loss of so many, mostly young men, had on communities the length and breadth of Moray and across the whole country."
The Tommy figure is one of thousands across the UK created as part of the There But Not There project, which aims to commemorate those who died in the First World War through installations wherever there is a Roll of Honour.
The project also aims to educate all generations to understand what led to the conflict and loss of life and to raise money to help today's veterans in need of support.
