Latest news with #warmemorial
Daily Mail
02-07-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Smiling through the reign - King Charles braves summer downpour during Scotland visit
It may not have been the ideal weather to kick off their official visit to Scotland. But Charles and Camilla were all smiles as they strolled through the rain yesterday. The King and Queen sheltered under umbrellas as they were greeted by hundreds in Kirkcaldy, despite pouring rain, to mark the centenary of the town's war memorial. They unveiled a commemorative stone Cairn containing school badges, caps and USBs with children's stories acting as a time capsule. The King laid a wreath at the Kirkcaldy War Memorial before a minute's silence. But during the service to recognise 100 years of the commemorative monument local cadet Robbie McGovern, 13, collapsed and needed medical help. After he recovered, the teenager was brought to meet the King just before he departed. Charles shook his hand asked: 'Did you hit your head?' Robbie replied 'no' but then nodded and said 'a little bit' when the King asked if he had any 'buzzing' in between his ears. Charles replied: 'Don't worry, I remember.' Earlier, alongside the Queen he unveiled a memorial stone marking the spot where Queen Elizabeth's coffin lay in Edinburgh's historic St Giles' Cathedral. The couple attend a short service of dedication for the black slate stone, engraved with the Scottish crown and ER cypher together with the date where her Late Majesty rested on her final journey back down to London after dying at Balmoral in 2022. Rev Dr Scott Rennie, Minister of St Giles, told them: 'We give thanks for our great sovereign who lived a life of deep faith, humble service and unwavering devotion to duty. We honour her legacy of constantly in times of change, of grave in moments of challenge and of steadfast commitment to the people she served. 'As this stone becomes in time a place of memory, let it also be a sign of inspiration, calling all who pass by to live lives of self-giving love, steadfast devotion and commitment to the common good. ' A service of thanksgiving and vigil took place in the cathedral on September 12 and 13 2022. The new permanent memorial is located on the floor near the Holy Table where HM The Queen's coffin lay. No other sovereign has had such a Service of Thanksgiving in Scotland, with the breadth of Scottish society in attendance. Following the service, a vigil was held and, over the following 23 hours, more than 33,000 people queued to pay their respects. The late Queen's children, including the King, also held their own vigil for their mother. While her coffin was present in the cathedral the Royal Company of Archers, the Sovereign's Bodyguard in Scotland, mounted guard - and some of the same officers were present today. The engraving on the stone was carried out by Roxanne Kindersley from the renowned Cardozo Kindersley Workshop in Cambridge, who also met the King and chatted about her other work he had seen, and described it as 'brilliant'. Rev Dr Rennie, minister of St Giles', said: 'It has been a great honour and privilege to welcome Their Majesties King Charles and Queen Camilla back to St Giles' for such a special event as we commemorate the late Queen Elizabeth, who visited the cathedral many times, with the Dedication of the Memorial Stone. ''It is fitting that St Giles', which has been at the heart of Scottish civic and religious life for more than 900 years, was able to host the 33,000 people who came to pay their final respects to Queen Elizabeth. 'St Giles' was probably founded by David I in around 1124 so there has been a strong royal connection since the beginning.'
The Independent
02-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
King and Queen brave summer downpour to honour Kirkcaldy's war dead
The King and Queen faced torrential downpours as they marked the centenary of a war memorial commemorating a Scottish town's war dead. Charles and Camilla sheltered under umbrellas as they left a wreath at the memorial in Kirkcaldy, Fife, as hundreds of spectators watched the poignant service. Former prime minister Gordon Brown later joined the King at a solo event, while wife Sarah Brown met the Queen when she visited a cancer centre run by Maggie's – an organisation both women officially support. Charles's first task was to unveil a cairn commissioned to mark the 100th anniversary of the Kirkcaldy War Memorial Gardens and designed as a time capsule for future generations. He chatted to pupils from local Viewforth High School who had helped fill the capsule with school mementos and memory sticks filled with photos, and quipped about the rain: 'I keep telling myself it's a blessing.' Camilla said: 'It's a bit damp,' adding: 'We've been used to the heatwave.' The royal couple, who are spending their official week in Scotland known as Holyrood Week, arrived in Fife as the heavy showers began and met dozens of well-wishers waiting behind barriers. Holding umbrellas, they shook hands with the public but at one point a lone protester stood a few feet from the King and shouted his apparent opposition to Israel's war in the Gaza Strip, alleging 'weapons that we sell contribute to genocide'. After the brief wreath-laying service, Camilla left to visit Maggie's Fife while Charles toured the nearby Kirkcaldy Art Gallery. The King chatted to representatives of Fife-based charities and organisations which included Fife Multibank, an initiative founded by Mr Brown that provides essential goods to low-income families and now has five other organisations across the country. Mr Brown said afterwards: 'The biggest problem in Britain today is the divisions caused by child poverty and we're doing something about it, in the way that we can. 'We saw that goods surplus to companies were not being repurposed into a circular economy, and we thought we could solve some of the problems of pollution and poverty at the same time. 'We've got 90 companies now and we're working with 1,000 organisations in Fife. So we work with all the schools, social workers, health visitors, foodbanks and charities – we have given out in total, around the UK in the last year or two, eight million goods worth about £80 million.'
Daily Mail
29-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE 'Britain's most callous crooks' ARRESTED: Vicar celebrating after metal military memorial plaque returned... but one is still missing and more 'iron thieves are on the loose'
A vicar has been left stunned after one of two stolen bronze war memorial plaques was dramatically recovered by police, as officers confirm two have been arrested. The 90kg plaque, which vanished from the entrance of a Kent churchyard in a heartless raid, was found dumped at a scrapyard in Essex on Wednesday. In emotional scenes, four officers carried the historic tribute - dedicated to 150 local men who died in the First World War - back to Christ Church Luton in Chatham, where a jubilant Reverend Angela Leonard, 65, is now deciding where to reinstall it. 'I just can't believe it. I had thought it would have been cut into pieces by now,' she said. 'The police have been so good. We just hope we can get the other plaque returned so we have them both back. I honestly just can't believe it.' But while one plaque is home, the hunt is still on for its missing twin, with detectives warning of more 'iron thieves on the loose' after the church was targeted in a night-time raid that has left the community reeling. Police confirmed two people had been arrested in connection with the theft as the search continues for the second piece. A Kent Police spokesperson said: 'Officers investigating the reported theft of two memorial plaques from a Chatham churchyard at around 10pm on Friday 23 May 2025, have detained two men. Callous iron theives are being hunted by police after stealing two metal military memorials from a villiage churchyard. Devastated parishioners have been left in tears after the plaques - which held the name of the town's 150 First World War heroes for more than 100 years - were ripped from the wooden gateway. Thieves are said to have carried out the cruel operation under the cover of night. Jonathan Pout, the head gardener of Christ Church Luton, in Chatham, Kent, was horrified to discover the bare spaces on Saturday, May 24. The retired engineer told MailOnline: 'I am the one who discovered they were gone so you found the right man. 'It was on Saturday morning at 10am, I came to do some bits in the garden and as I walked through the gate I noticed some wood on the floor and I thought 'strange'. 'Then I looked up and saw the plaques were gone. Devastated parishioners have been left in tears after the plaques - which held the name of the town's 150 First World War heroes for more than 100 years - were ripped from the wooden gateway 'Thankfully within a matter of minutes there were other people here with me, and within the hour we'd posted it all over the website and the police had been contacted. 'It was very strange, I must admit, you just never expect items like that to be stolen. 'They're not just in the church grounds, they also hold a lot of significance, a lot of sentimental value. 'The immediate community have been informed too and they are a little bit disgusted with the thieves actions. I think initially people just felt rage.' The family of one of the war heroes offered £500 as a reward for its return after hearing about the church's loss. The plaques had been a focal point for remembrance day commemorations, with crosses and poppies left below the names. They had recently been refurbished and restored to their original position on the lynchgate. Mr Pout suspects the plaques were taken with a crowbar and said they would have been recognisable had the crooks tried to sell them on. Mr Pout suspects the plaques were taken with a crowbar and said they would have been recognisable had the crooks tried to sell them on Reverend Andrea Leonard, 65, who has headed up the church since 2015, said the plaques had been taken under the cover of darkness on Friday night. The former missionary said: 'At first it was a terrible shock, we all felt violated and very sad - there were tears on Saturday. 'On Saturday morning there is a group of volunteers who come and do the garden and cleaning and stuff, so we all came in. 'I arrived a bit later and everyone was just stunned because you can't quite get a handle on who would do something like that. 'I've looked up the price of brass and it's £3 a kilo, suppose they're both around 25 kilos, that's £150, but to us they're priceless. 'I think what has shocked people, and I've said his before is, if it was a laptop you'd just think 'oh I'll get another one' but this is something different. 'It just feels like, well, it is desecration, isn't it really of a memorial. That's not the Christian way, you know, we have a certain example, and if everyone forgave like that, they wouldn't have been a war in the first place.' The plaques were secured to the walls with security bolts - leading Reverend Leonard to believe they were stolen by someone who knew what they were doing, as opposed to opportunists. Failing recovery, Reverend Leonard says the plaques will be replaced with replicas made of less valuable materials. The current church was built in 1983 and replaced a Victorian church which had to be demolished due to subsidence. Jennifer Reddich, 56, was left heartbroken by the actions as her great uncle lost his life in the war and she often went to the plaques to remember him. She said: 'The people who took the war memorial are really bad people because they are disgracing the people who fought for our country. 'I have got family who died within the wars, and they should be remembered, not stolen. 'It is really upsetting and it is really bad what they've done. It's disgraceful that they've taken war memorial, it's absolutely disgusting. 'On Remembrance Day they do services there and now there's nothing they can do them with.' Alex Ayears, 37, who has lived in the area for almost eight years and attends the church on special occasions including Christmas, said: 'It's horrible, it's a real, real shame because they've been there for so long. 'I had hoped they'd be a bit too hot to handle and we'd get them back. She added: 'I can't think of anything else like this that's happened around here. 'You think even the lowest people wouldn't sink that low.' Churchgoer Dawn Crook, 56, who attends the church every Sunday, said: 'It's awful, it's disgusting, I can't believe someone would do that. 'Those soldiers died for our county - I hope they catch them. 'It quite emotional really because they've just put in a grave for a local soldier - and now the memorial has been taken. 'I felt very upset when I heard, so was the whole church family, because we love our church and it's just disgusting that someone would do that.' And Leigha Pope, 19, added: 'It's just outrageous, it's disgusting. A war plaque memorial was stolen, it's an outrage. 'I haven't really heard anything else, it's just disgusting.' A spokesperson for the church said: 'We are beyond sad to announce that our first world war memorials have been stolen from the lychgate. 'For over a hundred years these have been in place, honouring those from this area who gave everything for us to be free. 'If anyone knows anything about this desecration, please do contact us.' They added: 'We have very kindly been offered £500 as a reward for information given which leads to the retrieval of our memorial plaques.'
BBC News
14-05-2025
- BBC News
Worcester World War Two memorial vandalised for third time
A World War Two war memorial in Worcester may never return to its home, after being vandalised for a third Meco Memorial Sculpture in St John's remembers the victims of the only fatal German attack on the city. The Meco works were targeted in a bombing raid in 1940, killing seven leaf-shaped sculpture has been removed for repair after being pulled down, but councillor Richard Udall is no longer confident that it would be safe to return to its original place."It makes me feel extremely angry and very frustrated. And I know from speaking to some of the relatives of the of the victims, they feel very hurt," he said. Mr Udall added: "It is shocking that a war memorial, which commemorated those who gave their lives fighting fascism in the second world war on the home front, has been vandalized in such a disrespectful way."The sculpture was unveiled in 2023 but was removed from Sanctuary Park in the run-up to the 80th anniversary of VE Day, leaving an empty space surrounded by benches. "There was no information about the bombing whatsoever but Worcester people knew about it, they knew people who had died or had been injured in the bombing. "So it was very significant in Worcester, and especially in St John's," he Udall said he hoped those responsible "didn't know"."The only other and much less charitable explanation is they do know and don't care but I would hope that's not the case."A Worcester City Council spokesperson said: "The sculpture has been temporarily moved while the damage is assessed. We are assessing future options for the placement of the sculpture." Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
12-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Work starts on Spalding war memorial restoration
Restoration work on a war memorial in Lincolnshire has by Sir Edwin Lutyens, the World War One memorial in Spalding was completed in 1922 and commemorates people connected with the town who lost their lives in the years of both world wars were later added to the memorial, which is in Ayscoughfee project, funded by South Holland District Council, is expected to be completed in time for Remembrance Day in November. The five-month project will include the restoration of memorial panels, flooring, the ceiling and roof tiles on the Grade I listed Bingham, the council's portfolio for assets, said work to restore the "hugely significant" monument had been a "long time in the making". He added: "This is a precise and expert process and, whilst the work will take several months to complete, we are confident it will secure the protection and prestige of the monument."Elizabeth Sneath, the portfolio holder for conservation and heritage, said: "We must do everything we can to protect it and the memories of those commemorated within it for many generations to come." Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
