A WARRINGTON mother who helped campaign for improvements to the town’s war memorial cenotaph has described thieves who pinched a Union Jack flag from the site as ‘disgusting and disrespectful scumbags’.
Julie Francis, who has a son in the army and a war veteran father who died earlier this year, successfully applied for the flag to fly all year round at the Bridgefoot site and was appalled when she found the flag had gone missing at the weekend.
Jule aged 47 from Lower Walton, Warrington said: “A was messaged by a councillor asking me why the flag wasn’t flying. I drove over with veteran Steve Peacock who helps me run a Warrington Cenotaph facebook group and we couldn’t believe it had gone.
“It would have taken a lot of effort to take it down as the ropes haven’t been cut so they must have climbed up and undone all the knots.
“It’s disgusting that someone could do this – especially in the run up to Christmas.
“I can’t believe this has happened after all the hard work we have put in. A smack in the face would have been less painful. We have reported the theft to the police and CCTV is being checked.”
Deputy Leader of the council Cllr Mike Hannon has organised for a replacement flag to be purchased and it is expected to be flying again before the end of the week.
He said: “Sometimes you think something is sacrosanct – but clearly not. It is extremely disappointing to think that somebody could steal this flag.”
Top picture shows Julie (centre) and Steve Peacock at this year’s Poppy appeal event
Julie pictured with war veteran Tom Coleridge who supported the campaign for improvements to the Cenotaph
1 Comment
Are you absolutely certain that it was stolen? Obviously I haven’t inspected the ropes or the pole but surely the initial thought is that it has blown away in the wind. Could it not have come loose?