Skip to content

War memorial in Purfleet vandalised in 'despicable attack'

Essex Police Vandalised memorialEssex Police
The vandalism happened overnight between Friday and Saturday

A war memorial has been vandalised in a "despicable" attack.

Police said the metal statues, named the Tommy Silhouettes, had their heads snapped off and were ripped from stands outside a heritage centre in Essex.

The memorial in Purfleet commemorating soldiers killed in the First and Second World Wars was attacked between 20:00 BST on Friday and 10:00 on Saturday.

Ch Insp Natalia Ross said: "They were damaged - possibly beyond repair - in despicable acts."

"A dedicated officer has been allocated to the investigation to look into the circumstances and to find those responsible," she added.

Geograph/Richard Rogerson Purfleet Heritage and Military MuseumGeograph/Richard Rogerson
The Tommy Silhouettes memorial stands outside Purfleet Heritage and Military Museum

Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator and Purfleet resident Lisa Wright said she was "angered, disappointed and sad" when she saw the damage.

She has raised £300 to replace the statues through a fundraising page.

"One row of soldiers has been ripped from its fixings and discarded and vandalised on the floor, and the other row has been beheaded," she said.