Royal Wootton Bassett war memorial destroyed by vandals

The Royal Wootton Bassett memorial in Marlowe Way included two Tommy figures and a flag pole, with hedge plants lining the walkway towards the memorial.

"It is hoped this area will become a reflective place for our residents and visitors to our town, to thank and honour those who have fallen," said a spokesperson for the town council when the new memorial was completed last year.

But less than two weeks after Bassett gathered at the memorial site to celebrate and honour the town's fallen soldiers, the memorial has been found vandalised.

Over the weekend, 55 box hedge plants that lined the pathway were stolen and the memorial was desecrated, leaving locals devastated.

The Marlowe Way Memorial has been "desecrated" and plant boxes stolen (Image: Royal Wootton Bassett Town Council)

"The Grounds Team worked hard to create the new memorial, which looked great for our D-Day commemorations, and are rightly upset and annoyed by what has happened," said Mark Hopkins, Chief Officer of Royal Wootton Bassett Town Council.

"This matter has been reported to Wiltshire Police, and we are checking CCTV footage to establish when this took place, and pass any images of those involved to police colleagues.

"I am sure residents of our town will be disgusted by this, and if you have any information about this incident, or can help identify those involved, or the whereabouts of the hedging, please contact 101 or the Town Council."

The Marlowe Way Memorial has proved controversial for some time after multiple residents shared differing opinions on what should replace the 'Forever' stone poppy that collapsed under its own weight in 2017.

The 'Forever' stone poppy collapsed in 2017 and was controversially replaced with a new memorial. (Image: Newsquest)

In 2021, the council approved the Forever Poppy Group, made up of local residents, to look at a replacement for the poppy, and to start the fundraising process. 

"This followed a particularly difficult time for the town that for whatever reason set resident against resident, with unnecessary exchanges on social media verging on trolling, leading to this becoming a toxic and unpleasant issue within our town," explained Mr Hopkins.

No information has been released yet with regard to to repairing the damage, but members of the town council and Wiltshire Police are fully focused on catching the criminals involved.