By IANS,
London : Britain is witnessing bronze plaques stolen from war memorials bearing the names of the nation’s fallen heroes being sold at auctions and on the Internet.
These items include plaques from memorials to fallen heroes at Aberdeen, Wigan, Belfast and London.
The trade brings a sinister tone to the growing scandal of war memorial thefts, which have caused outrage as the country prepares to mark Remembrance Day, held on the second Sunday in November to commemorate the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts, the Daily Express reported.
The War Memorials Trust is calling for action to stop anything from war memorials from being traded or sold.
Frances Moreton, director of War Memorials Trust , said that although it had no hard evidence that items had been stolen, there was legitimate concern over the sales.
“Unfortunately it is increasingly the case that war memorials are being offered for sale at, for example, auctions, on internet auction sites, at architectural salvage yards or in antique shops.”
“Buying and selling war memorials creates a market value for such items which could lead to more theft of such pieces for commercial gain.”
“We have mixed results contacting sellers. Some immediately give memorials to us and apologise for any offence caused. Others are more belligerent,” she added.