Tories plan face-lift for shabby war memorials
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Shabby and outdated war memorials would be refurbished by a Tory government, said Iain Duncan Smith, the Shadow Defence Secretary.
Shabby and outdated war memorials would be refurbished by a Tory government, said Iain Duncan Smith, the Shadow Defence Secretary.
Mr Duncan Smith said that cleaning up and improving the state of memorials would be a "fitting tribute" to Britain's war dead. The nation is to pay its respects to the fallen today - Remembrance Sunday.
He estimated it would cost just £1m to smarten up decaying cenotaphs, add the names of people who had died in conflicts after the Second World War and, where necessary, move memorials from "inappropriate" places.
The proposals have received the backing of the Royal British Legion, which last year urged all local councils to improve local war memorials as a "Millennium gesture".
Charles Lewis, the Legion's controller of public affairs, said: "In some areas they are pretty badly damaged or have graffiti on and there is a general lack of respect for them and we find that disappointing and, in some cases, reprehensible."
Many list the names of local people who gave their lives in the World Wars but do not include soldiers who died in Korea, the Falklands war, and other conflicts.
Mr Duncan Smith claimed that a number are surrounded by barbed wire while others are in unpleasant surroundings; one in east London is at the entrance of a rubbish tip.
But evidence from a lottery-funded survey for the National Inventory of War Memorials revealed that of the 33,000 on computer so far, a mere 260 have been judged to be of "poor condition". The survey is the largest survey of public art ever undertaken in Britain.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments