Anger at damage to war memorial as soldier's bayonet snapped off

The memorial in front of Christ Church in Lye was left damaged earlier this month after the bayonet section snapped off.

Councillors Pete Lowe and Mohammed Hanif have both now spoken of their anger and disbelief and said they will do everything they can to help the church.

The memorial to the men of Lye and Wollescote includes a soldier in full uniform with a gun and bayonet and was erected in front of Christ Church in October 1926.

Councillor Lowe said it was sad to see such a long-standing memorial becoming the victim of vandalism - although it is not clear if the bayonet was deliberately removed.

He said: "I don't know how it occurred, but one of the main things we need to do is work with the church to ensure this is remedied and, at the same time, work with the police to ensure whoever has done this antisocial behaviour is brought to justice.

"This is one of the most important historical sites in Lye and it celebrates the very proud people of our community who fought fascism during the two world wars and it is an essential part of our community and must remain intact.

"It's appalling to see the damage and to know we can't take pride in things that are here, and I would urge anyone with any information to get in touch with me and with the police."

Councillor Hanif said he was shocked to hear about the damage and would be making a trip down to the monument to take a closer look.

He said: "I am just shocked at how people can just vandalise what is a beautiful monument to those who fought in the world wars as it is the only way we can remember them.

"Once I have seen the level of damage I will work with my fellow councillors, the council and the church to see how we best move forward and what we can do to improve it and make the necessary repairs."

Christ Church rector, Rev. Simon Falshaw said he felt that local people were sad and annoyed that the bayonet had gone missing and appealed to anyone who is aware of the location of the bayonet to contact the church.

Stourbridge MP Suzanne Webb, whose constituency covers Lye, spoke of her own outrage at the vandalism.

She said: "The vandalism of Lye’s war memorial is incredibly upsetting and I would like to see those who did it caught and brought to justice.

"People quite rightly get very angry when monuments to those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom are wilfully damaged.

"There are World War Two veterans and relatives of the fallen all across the constituency who will feel this very keenly.

"If anyone has any information about this crime, please call the police."

Anyone with any information about the bayonet can call Christ Church Lye on 01384 894948.