Shock and anger as war memorial is vandalised for a second time

Information boards at Grazebrook Memorial Park in Dudley were installed to commemorate the lives of people from the borough who lost their lives in both World Wars as part of a £60,000 makeover.

The work, by the Friends of Buffery Park, had involved refurbishing a cross in the centre of the park and adding the boards.

The latest attack marks the second time the boards have been vandalised after they were smashed and the posters torn to shreds in November 2019.

Secretary of Friends of Buffery Park group, which also looks after Grazebrook Memorial Park, Lynn Horton said it was hard to take in what had happened after the work that had gone in to create the boards.

She said: "So much time, effort and money has gone into these boards, with our chairman Steve Briscoe working tirelessly to find out all the information for the boards.

"After all that, it's terribly sad to find out that people have gone and vandalised these boards and I really can't believe anyone would do something like this to a war memorial garden."

Mrs Horton said the group was looking at help with funding for replacing the boards, but didn't have the funds at the present time.

She said: "We've spoken to the police and they're trying to get us some funding as any funding we have is committed to extending the play area at Buffery Park.

"Because of that, we haven't got anything spare at the moment because that is costing us £10,000.

"My message to whoever did this would that I can't believe they could do this as these men died for us and they should know better."

The park forms the centre of St Thomas' war remembrance service.

The councillor for St Thomas's ward Steve Waltho said he was really disappointed to have heard about the vandalism at the park.

He said: "I'm disappointed on two counts because, firstly, the volunteers had worked so hard to get the funding, actually bidding for funding to get the displays put up.

"Then, secondly, the most awful thing of all it that the people who did this have no respect at all for the war dead listed on there and the environment.

"I have been in touch with the Friends of Buffery Park and told them that we are there to support them and help them to get further funding to replace the boards."

A spokesman for West Midlands Police said: "We are investigating after a glass-fronted wildlife sign in Grazebrook Memorial Park, Grazebrook Road, Dudley, was smashed sometime in the early hours of Wednesday 19 May.

"Anyone with information can contact us via live chat or by calling 101 and quoting crime reference number 20/801807/21."