Plaques honouring soliders stolen from war memorial

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission said today it was "deeply shocked" by the theft of five plaques which honoured soldiers who fought in both world wars.

The bronze memorials were stolen from a war memorial at Philips Park in Manchester over the weekend.

It is feared that thieves targeted the plaques in order to sell them for scrap - with the five panels worth up to £300 each.

Commission spokesman Peter Francis said: "Thefts of this nature have sadly been on the increase because of the global increase in the price of raw materials.

"However, it absolutely beggars belief that as we approach Remembrance Day someone could stoop so low as to steal a memorial commemorating those brave men and women who gave their lives for us during two world wars.

"The Commission is deeply shocked and distressed by this news.

"If anyone has any information which might lead to the recovery of the panels, I would urge them to come forward and speak to the authorities."

Soldiers from the Manchester Regiment, the Lancashire Fusiliers and the Cheshire Regiment were among those honoured on the memorials.

The cemetery in Philips Park contains 272 First World War burials and 174 from the Second War War.

The burials are scattered throughout the cemetery and a memorial wall near the main entrance bears the names of those casualties whose graves could not be individually marked.

The commission is trawling through its records to identify the names on the stolen plaques.

Mr Francis said it would cost £10,000, and take up to 18 months, to replace the plaques which are specially crafted in Australia.

He added: "We are considering an alternative of using slate as the replacement material because thefts of bronze are so commonplace."

Councillor Mike Amesbury, executive member for Culture and Leisure at Manchester City Council said: "I am appalled that there is a minority in our society who would stoop so low as to insult those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom.

"We are in contact with the War Graves Commission about replacing the plaques as quickly as possible but in the meantime I would urge anyone with any information about the whereabouts of the plaques to contact either the cemetery or the police so that they can be recovered and those that they honour remembered, especially as we prepare for Armistice Day on November 11."

Last December a heroin addict was sentenced to a year in jail after he tried to sell 500 crematorium bronze memorial plaques stolen from Dukinfield Crematorium in Tameside, Greater Manchester.

Paul Herrick, 41, of Staylbridge, pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods after a scrapyard manager became suspicious and alerted police.
The plaques were valued at around £146,500.