A BRONZE plaque honouring the war dead has been stolen from

the navy memorial on The Hoe, causing outrage among veterans

and servicemen.

The plaque was thought to have been levered off by thieves

between Sunday night and Monday morning – just hours after the

National Veterans Day celebrations.

City veterans and servicemen have called it a “disgraceful”

act with one adding it was “like robbing a graveyard”.

The plaque, worth just a couple of hundred pounds to the

thieves as scrap copper and tin, will cost an estimated £2,000

to replace.

The theft was initially spotted by professional sculptor

Andy Mitchell, who has been contracted by the Commonwealth War

Graves Commission to restore all 113 bronze plaques on the city

memorial.

He said: “The Plymouth memorial is one of the most

breathtaking memorials in the country. To have someone rip off

a plaque for a couple of hundred pounds, especially when people

have died for their country, is unbelievable.”

He noticed one of the plaques, which includes names of Royal

Marines who died in World War Two, had been ripped off and a

neighbouring one tampered with on Monday.

“People must have known exactly what they were taking and

those who receive it will know too. Hopefully people will read

this and the thieves will be too scared to hold onto it and get

rid of it,” he said.

“I called the Commission and they were horrified. It's a sad

comment on our times.

“I have had similar problems before as we restore many of

the plaques for the Commission.”

He said the plaque would be around 3ft square, weigh in the

region of 40 kilos and had been chemically fixed to the stone,

leaving thieves to either crowbar or chisel it free.

Veteran Brian Cumming, who is Devon County Chairman for the

Royal British Legion, said: “It's absolutely deplorable that

this should have happened. To desecrate what is in fact akin to

a burial ground is beyond belief. That anyone should stoop so

low as to desecrate the memorial beggars belief.”

Ray McSweeney, secretary of the Allied Memorial Group, said:

“It's disgusting – I can't get over it. It's like robbing a

graveyard. I know one in the Prime Minister's hometown of

Falkirk was stolen. A friend of mine looks after the memorials

up there and the same happened.

“It's a disgrace – and for it to have happened after the

Veterans Day, well, it's beyond belief. All scrap dealers

should know about this theft and leave it alone, otherwise it's

like standing on their grave. It beggars belief.”

City Royal Marine commando Mark Ormrod, who lost both legs

and his right arm on the Afghanistan frontline last year,

called the theft “a disgrace”.

The 24-year-old, who is rebuilding his life in Elburton

after stepping on a buried Taliban landmine on Christmas Eve,

said: “The people whose names are on that plaque died for their

country. They died for whatever idiot stole it. It's just

wrong.

“I can't believe someone would even consider using part of a

war memorial for scrap metal – it's a disgrace.”

David McCoy, aged 73, who is standard bearer at the St

Budeaux Royal British Legion, said it was “disgraceful”.

The veteran said: “It's really disgusting – I don't think

there are words to really describe them, to stoop so low.

“Somebody must know about it – the scrap dealers they're

going to sell to must know.”

As a neighbouring plaque show signs of damage it is believed

the thieves may have spent some time at the location while

attempting to steal a second plaque.

Mr Mitchell also found traces of tar or asphalt on the

stonework above the missing plaque, possibly from work boots

where the thieves may have stood to get better leverage.

Mr Mitchell added: “The War Graves Commission struggle with

their job and with not much money and this is a lot of money to

find. Sadly, this sort of thing is happening all over the

country, not just in Plymouth.”

Ian Thornett, regional supervisor for the Commission, said

he was surprised by the theft as historically there had been

few cases of vandalism on The Hoe.

He said: “The police are taking this very seriously and are

doing all they can to make this item too hot to handle.

“We have bronze plaques all over the south west, so it is a

worry. Clearly, these people have no scruples that they will

lower themselves to steal it, especially after this

weekend.”

Plymouth's police commander, Chief Supt Jim Webster, said:

“This is a scandalous and unforgivable desecration and that

it's happened on Veterans' Day makes it even more obscene.

“Earlier that day the people of Plymouth were on The Hoe

remembering veterans and that someone would steal this plaque,

to sell as scrap, will anger all of Plymouth.”

The stolen plaque is marked with the number 103 in the

bottom right hand corner.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Devon and

Cornwall police on 08452 777 444 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555

111 quoting police reference EC/08/7109.