IN LESS than 24 hours, an important war memorial in Bodmin was vandalised and then made right again after the community came together in outrage.

St Lawrence’s memorial clock, a turret clock erected after World War I by people working at St Lawrence's Hospital, is dedicated to the staff members who made the ultimate sacrifice during the war.

The memorial, which is maintained by Bodmin Town Council, was covered in red ‘crosses’ intended to resemble the English flag during the night of Sunday, August 31, to Monday, September 1. It comes on the back of a recent social media trend encouraging people to ‘decorate’ objects such as roundabouts with the ‘red crosses’ in addition to putting up the flag of St George.

The vandalism of one of Bodmin’s primary war memorials led to condemnation from the town council, the Royal British Legion (RBL) branch chair, Cornwall Council leader and chair of the trustees for the adjacent St Lawrence’s Church.

Derek Coad, the chair of the Bodmin branch of the RBL, said: “I’m extremely angry that a War Memorial has been desecrated in this way. To many people, this memorial is sacred. Whoever did this should be thoroughly ashamed.”

Cllr Leigh Frost, the leader of Cornwall Council and council member for Bodmin St Petroc’s division, condemned those responsible. He said: “This isn’t my flag. I am a proud Cornishman, but I have no problem with anyone being proud of theirs.

“Pride in your identity, your heritage, and your flag is something to be celebrated.But this isn’t pride. This is mindless vandalism. The white clock on St Lawrence’s is part of a war memorial. It honours those who gave their lives so that we could live in freedom today.

“Defacing it is not only disrespectful to our town, it is an insult to the memory of the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice.

“We can and should be proud of who we are. But let us show that pride through respect, remembrance, and community, not through acts that dishonour those who came before us.”

The sentiments were echoed by Cllr Dan Rogerson, the Cornwall Council member for Bodmin St Mary’s and St Leonard’s who said: “This is awful. The memorial clock is a much loved part of Bodmin’s history and marks the heroism of the town’s past citizens. The level of disrespect towards their memory is sickening. It is also very disrespectful towards the flag.

“Whether you feel Cornish, English, British or a combination of these— using important symbols like a dog peeing up a lamppost is just wrong.

“If anyone wants to fly their flag on their own home, good for them, but this is very different. Tax payers’ money will now need to be spent on cleaning this off, instead of on other local priorities. Come on Bodmin, we are better than this.”

A former mayor of Bodmin and trustee of the adjacent St Lawrence’s Church, which was used for worship by staff members and patients at the asylum during its year of operations joined in the chorus of condemnation.

Cllr Andy Coppin said: “I am angry, upset and disgusted with the person or persons who have seen fit to deface our towns beloved memorial clock.”

A spokesperson for Bodmin Town Council said the memorial will be restored, adding: “Bodmin Town Council condemns the defacement of the war memorial at St Lawrence’s.

“Bodmin’s military story is one of shared sacrifice – by local families and by people from across the Commonwealth and allied nations. Our memorial is a place where that sacrifice is remembered with dignity and respect.

“The cost of repairing this damage will now fall on Bodmin’s taxpayers, money that should have been used to support services and improvements for our town.

“Yet we know Bodmin is fortunate to have a strong, resilient community, with many groups and volunteers who work tirelessly for the town. Together, with the police, the Royal British Legion, and our residents, we will restore the memorial and ensure it continues to stand as a symbol of respect, remembrance, and unity.

“In closing, we echo the words of Cornwall Council leader Leigh Frost: true pride is shown through respect, remembrance, and community – never through acts of vandalism.”

It was a sentiment echoed by Cllr Liz Ahearn, the mayor of Bodmin, who added: “As mayor of Bodmin, I am saddened by the damage to our war memorial. This is a place where we remember our fallen.

“This act has caused distress and will come at a cost to the taxpayers of Bodmin. It does not reflect the pride we take in our heritage, or the respect we owe to those who came before us.

“I ask our community to stand together, as we always do, and show that our unity and respect will always outweigh acts of vandalism.”

LESS than 24 hours after Bodmin woke up to discover its iconic war memorial had been defaced, the St Lawrence’s clock, known locally as ‘the white clock’, was once again looking resplendent.

Among those pitching in to help the estates team from Bodmin Town Council to restore the white paint were two members of the public comprising of an older gentleman and a child, believed to be a father and son, witnessed by residents doing their bit to help.

Further assistance was provided by former mayor, Cllr Andy Coppin, who provided some of the masonry paint required to remediate the vandalism and assisted with the initial painting.

Cllr Liz Ahearn, the mayor of Bodmin, said: “I would like to say a big thank you to Bodmin Town Council’s estates department in the quick response in rectifying the awful graffiti that we sadly woke up to.

Her praise was echoed by the leader of Cornwall Council, and member for Bodmin St Petroc, Cllr Leigh Frost who added: “I’m so grateful to everyone who worked so quickly to restore the war memorial, especially the volunteers who gave up their time for our community. This shows that working together can achieve great things.”

Derek Coad, the chair of the Bodmin branch of the Royal British Legion, said: “This was a contemptible act by a foolish minority.

“I know that many of the military family in Bodmin and the wider community have been outraged by this vandalism. I have had offers from veterans today to help put right the damage and out of this stupid act Bodmin’s great community spirit has shined through once again and the damage has been put right.

“The memorial once again looks splendid. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone at Bodmin Town Council for their prompt actions today, especially to Cllr Andy Coppin for attempting to paint over the damage himself, the members of the public who assisted and to the facilities team for working to cover the graffiti in challenging weather conditions.”

Mr Coad added that he hoped to identify the two members of the public who were pictured on social media assisting with the restoration of the white clock in order to present them with a RBL branch certificate of appreciation to thank them for their efforts.