Fort William war memorial desecrated

A prominent Lochaber war memorial has again been the subject of vandalism. 

On the evening of Wednesday 12th January, the War Memorial in the Parade, Fort William, was descrated when the marble replica Enfield 303 rifle was wrenched from the grasp of the soldier and smashed into several pieces.   

Police are appealing for witnesses to this act of criminal damage, and are reviewing CCTV data to see if those responsible can be identified. Anyone who has information that can lead to an arrest is urged to contact the police immediately. 

Councillor Brian Murphy, Vice-Chairman of The Highland Council’s Transport Environmental and Community Services Committee, who lives in Fort William, is appalled by the latest incident at the memorial. 

He said: “It is a sad fact of life that cemeteries and memorials across the country are subject to acts of vandalism and Fort William War Memorial has suffered from similar such acts of anti-social behaviour for several years. 

“War memorials are symbols of remembrance to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. It is therefore deeply shocking and disturbing when they are desecrated.  We in this country owe a colossal debt to the war dead and so their memories should be treated with the proper respect. To replace the rifle a few years ago after a previous incident of vandalism cost £700, with £400 of that coming from the Fort William British Legion branch. At a time when the Council has to make savings in every area of its activities this is another cost that we can ill afford. I would urge anyone who can help to identify the culprits to contact the police.”

Chief Inspector John Chisholm said: "This is a despicable act of vandalism carried out by someone with not a shred of decency or respect for all those servicemen and women who gave their lives for this country. We would appeal to anyone who knows anything about this to contact Police on 01397 702361 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111."