The leaf-shaped monument, created by mosaic artist Victoria Harrison, has been removed from Sanctuary Park in St John’s after suffering damage as the city came together to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
It formed the centrepiece of the newly-regenerated Meco Memorial Nature Park, situated close to the Mining Engineering Co Ltd (Meco) works.
We reported in December last year how it was vandalised which Cllr Richard Udall described as ‘tragic’. We have approached Cllr Udall for a comment about the memorial’s removal.
The factory was targeted in a bombing raid by a German aircraft on October 3, 1940, with seven workers killed and 50 people injured.
A spokesperson for Worcester City Council confirmed the sculpture had been damaged and the council had temporarily removed the sculpture while the damage is assessed.
The council was asked if the matter had been reported to West Mercia Police but the Worcester News had not received a response by the time we went to press.
West Mercia Police said they would need more information before supplying a response. Details about the removal of the sculpture were shared on the WR2 Facebook group.
Bertie Ballinger, who had been the Conservative candidate for Bedwardine in the county council elections on May 1, said he was ‘disappointed’ the sculpture had been attacked.
“The reality is anti-social behaviour is rampant in Worcester,” he said.
RECOMMENDED READING: Sanctuary Park: Meco memorial sculpture vandalised
RECOMMENDED READING: Sculpture marks fatal bombing in city’s Meco Memorial Nature Park
The new memorial was unveiled by 95-year-old Irene Allen, who narrowly avoided being injured in the attack, at a ceremony.
The event was attended by more than 20 descendants and relatives of the victims of the attack.
The key note speaker at the event was historian Dilip Sarkar MBE, a member of the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust and the author of more than 50 books about the Spitfire and the Battle of Britain,
He said: “This attack, on 3 October 1940, was deliberate on account of the Germans wrongly believing that the Meco factory was producing essential parts for the British aircraft industry. Nonetheless, this well-executed attack by a lone Ju 88 caused serious damage and, sadly, loss of life.
“It is entirely right and proper, therefore, that Worcester City Council have organised this memorial park to the victims, and we of the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust commend all involved.”
The refurbishment of the Meco Memorial Nature Park was jointly funded by Worcester City Council, Platform Housing and Worcestershire County Council.
After vandalism last December Cllr Richard Udall, city councillor for St John’s, said: “It is tragic that someone would want to do this to a sculpture, and it is even more tragic that they would do it to a war memorial.”