Shropshire Star

Shadow soldiers that helped raise funds for war memorials snapped in Ludlow

Soldier figures in Ludlow commemorating those who gave their lives in the First World war have been vandalised.

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The plywood shadow soldier found damaged on Parys Road

Plywood 'shadow soldiers' have been appearing around Ludlow as a solemn reminder of the 143 men from the town who did not return from the conflict.

They are being hand-made by town councillor Graeme Perks and painted by Robert Bradley, whose great uncle was among the town's fallen soldiers.

The process of creating each soldier takes three hours, and they are being sold to raise funds for the town's war memorials committee.

But just over a week after Remembrance Sunday, soldiers on Parys Road and Charlton Rise were found deliberately damaged – after one was snapped in half days before the centenary.

When the first soldier was broken some residents expressed hope that the damage had been caused by strong winds.

But after three incidents in just over a week, Councillor Andy Boddington, who represents Ludlow North, said: “Last night, winds did not get above six kmph. That is not enough to ruffle your hair let alone to snap a silent soldier.

"Anti-social behaviour on a weekend night along Parys Road is not unusual.

“I don’t believe for one moment this soldier was felled by the wind.

"It was an act of mindless and disrespectful vandalism.”

As well as the shadow soldiers, a Royal British Legion Silent Soldier at Henley Road Cemetery was also found damaged, seemingly by a car.

A town council spokesperson called it “a thoughtless and careless act".

Councillor Perks stepped in to repair it, saying: "A few mindless acts of stupidity should not deflect from the respect and appreciation by so many."