Yet again, mindless and cowardly vandals have taken it upon themselves to vadalise the Bomber Command Memorial – the 4th time in 6 years!
The Royal Air Force Bomber Command Memorial is a memorial in Green Park, London, commemorating the crews of RAF Bomber Command who embarked on dangerous and daring missions during the Second World War.
It is a reminder to us all of the huge sacrifices which were made by the brave souls who were sent on sorties which were fraught with danger.
A spokesperson for the RAF Benevolent Fund said:
“We are shocked and saddened to see that the Bomber Command Memorial has once again become a target for vandals, for the 4th time in 6 years.
“Paint has been splashed across the entire Memorial.
“Work to repair the damage has begun immediately”.
Just what the mindless, cowardly and pathetic vandal(s) had hoped to achieve by vandalising this memorial is a mystery.
They skulk about under the cover of darkness like pathetic creatures of the night and they know absolutely nothing about the meaning of bravery and courage.
I have no doubt that the pathetic excuse for a human being who decided to vandalise this memorial would never have the courage needed in order to fly the sort of missions which those brave men flew – many of whom were never to return home again.
A statement released by the RAF Benevolent Fund said:
‘At daybreak it was discovered that white gloss paint had been thrown at the Memorial, some of which is still wet.
‘Paint has been splashed across the entire Memorial, including the statue of eight Bomber Command crew members which stands at its centre, the marble plinth it stands upon and the surrounding Portland stone.
‘Another memorial in the park has also been targeted.
Chief Executive of the RAF Benevolent Fund David Murray said:
“The RAF Benevolent Fund is proud to serve as guardians of the Memorial, built to commemorate the 55,573 members of Bomber Command who died in its service during the Second World War.
“This is the worst example of vandalism we have seen at the Memorial and it is utterly heart-breaking to see the memory of all those brave airmen disrespected in this way.
“This despicable act took just moments but will take considerable time and resources to put right. But like the remarkable men who the Memorial commemorates, we will not rest until we have finished the job.
“CCTV footage from the area has been passed to police to assist with their investigation.”
The full cost of repair work is yet to be determined but is likely to run into thousands of pounds.”
John Nichol, a former RAF Navigator who was shot down over Iraq during the 1991 conflict whilst flying in his Tornado fighterjet said:
‘Absolute bloody disgrace! Some vile, hateful, cowardly, mindless thugs have vandalised the Bomber Command memorial again.
‘I truly hope they find out who they are’.
Amandeep Bhogal, Parliamentary candidate for Upper Bann said:
‘Bomber Command Memorial vandalised 4th time in 6 years.
‘The young men who died for our freedom made the ultimate sacrifice.
‘The criminals who vandalised this memorial are the ultimate disgrace. God bless all those who laid down their lives for us.’
The RAF Benevolent Fund’s work to protect the legacy of the Bomber Command veterans sits alongside its role at the RAF’s leading welfare charity – providing assistance to serving and retired personnel and their families.
The cost of such remedial work is over and above the annual maintenance budget and diverts funds away from this primary mission.
Supporting the Bomber Command Memorial
For further information about the Bomber Command Memorial or to make a donation to support its upkeep, please visit our Bomber Command Memorial website.
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Im an ex service women WRAAC Regular Australian Army 20 years service. There is no legal action I can think of would deter these “oxygen thieves” from continuing to reoffend. I beleive we should bring back public beatings or Flagellation. Which would be given for the vandilization or dessicration of any memorial, any commemorative site, any ceremonial site across the board. Military, police, fire, ambulance, Naval, AirForce flags graves, anything depicting heroic acts and deaths where someone has served his or her country in some way. A deterrent is urgently required on second offence they lose a finger and they void any monetary insurrance claim or disability claim on the loss of that finger. We need to get serious with offences like this because the ones currently in place are not effective. Take a leaf out of Indonesia’s book. Judicial Corporal punishment. I really think for this it’s serious enough to justify.