A memorial to the tens of thousands of Bomber Command air crew who lost their lives during the Second World War has been vandalised in London, along with a nearby statue of wartime leader Sir Winston Churchill.
The memorial in London’s Green Park has been splattered with a large amount of white paint, “including the statue of eight Bomber Command crew members which stands at its centre, the marble plinth it stands upon and the surrounding Portland stone.”
So far, no arrests have been made, but the Metropolitan Police are said to be investigating CCTV footage from the site.
Johnny Johnson, 97, the last surviving veteran of the ‘Dambusters’ crews who destroyed German dams using “bouncing bombs” in a series of daring raids, said of the vandalism: “What a disgrace, such mindless vandalism. How disrespectful to the nearly 58,000 people who gave their lives so that these thugs have the freedom to carry out such acts. I hope they are caught soon, and suitably punished.”
“This is the worst example of vandalism we have seen at the memorial and it is utterly heartbreaking to see the memory of all those brave airmen disrespected in this way,” added Air Vice-Marshal David Murray, chief executive of the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund which maintains the memorial.
“This despicable act took just moments but will take considerable time and resources to put right,” he added — the charity has estimated repairs are likely to cost thousands of pounds.
“But like the remarkable men who the Memorial commemorates, we will not rest until we have finished the job,” the Air Vice-Marshal vowed.
Brexit campaign leader and LBC host Nigel Farage, who takes a keen interest in Britain’s wartime history, was deeply upset by the news.
“This is an outrage,” he wrote on his Facebook page. “Something has gone deeply wrong in our society.”