Graffiti vandals spray white paint on a monument silhouette in honour of the late Captain Sir Tom Moore.
Two days earlier, the War Veteran died in Hatton in Derbyshire. The monument was built at Hatton’s nature reserve.
A member of the general public spotted the graffiti while walking through the reserve. It was quickly covered and Derbyshire Police are now asking for any information.
Anthony Ball was chairman of Dove Valley Community Project. He said that he felt physically sick upon discovering the fact.
He continued, “It made me feel physically sick when I was walking in the meadow.”
“I was forced to return home to get a bag for him to wear. It’s very offensive and I didn’t want people to see it.
“I wish they are content with themselves. It’s impossible to believe.”
Vandals spray ‘IRA’ on a silhouette to honor war vets and the NHS’s Captain Sir Tom Moore with white paint
Sir Tom raised nearly £40million for the NHS and captured the nation’s hearts during the first Covid lockdown last year
Ball claims that the incident happened overnight on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Sir Tom raised almost £40 million for NHS charities and captured the nation’s hearts by walking around his garden in the first lockdown.
Former British Army OfficerAfter succumbing to pneumonia and the coronavirus, he died. The Queen awarded him a knighthood.
AGC Fabrications created the life-sized silhouette memorial. They previously donated a statue of a soldier to replace an earlier war memorial from the same Derbyshire community.
Austin Cox from the firm said that he was disgusted by the acts of an ignorant person.
“Sir Tom” was an inspiration for us all at the start of the pandemic. To see disrespect shown by another person on the memorial we have made to him is a sad sight.
“We want the perpetrator to understand that we have all the necessary resources to repair, replace or repaint Sir Tom. We will keep doing so.”
Derbyshire Police has issued an appeal for information to the public. They ask that the victim be contacted with their crime reference 332-911221.
The family of Sir Tom said earlier this month they wish to set up an annual day in his honour in a bid to create a ‘Children in Need for older people’.
The plan for a Captain Tom Day, which could be launched next June, would help ‘revolutionise the way society thinks about ageing’.
The event raised money that will go towards tackling isolation and loneliness among seniors.