Anger as 'mindless idiots' damage three sections of Wick memorial garden wall
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Vandals who damaged Wick's World War II memorial garden have been branded "mindless idiots".
Three sections of a flagstone wall at the garden in Bank Row were targeted, with a number of heavy coping stones deliberately pushed off.
Some of the stones ended up being split when they hit the ground.
The garden was created on the site where where 15 people lost their lives in an air raid in July 1940. It commemorates the victims of that attack as well as the three people who died in October the same year in a raid on Hill Avenue, near the town’s RAF base.
It is cared for by volunteers from the community group Second World War Air Raid Victims Wick.
Individual stones embedded in the wall are engraved with the victims' first names.
There have been minor acts of vandalism in the past but the group’s secretary, Yvonne Hendry, was dismayed to find that so many stones had been dislodged this time.
Mrs Hendry said the garden is checked regularly and the damage must have taken place within the past week.
“I am really annoyed with these mindless idiots who think they've got nothing better to do with their day than knock coping stones off a wall," she said.
"One bit now again, that happens, and you think 'fair enough'. But three different sections of the wall were knocked over.
"Do people not have any respect for the purpose that the garden was created for, and the people it is in memory of?
“I have now had to fix it, because I wouldn't want it to become an attraction for other people to knock it down.
“I am disgusted. I know we are living in a pandemic, and there's not much people can do, but surely they don't need to go and carry out mindless vandalism just to pass their hours.
"It is so annoying and so unnecessary."
Mrs Hendry put the coping stones back in place this afternoon (Wednesday) and had to discard some parts that had been broken.
She added: "As I was starting to replace the stones I met a local family who were visiting the garden with their young son as part of a school project he is doing. This just goes to show how much the garden is valued in the community."
Ten of the 18 victims of the 1940 bombings in Wick were children, ranging in age from four to 16 years.
The memorial garden had its official opening on August 28, 2010 – the culmination of years of planning, fundraising and groundwork.
There is an ongoing need for fundraising to cover expenses such as insurance and the cost of buying new plants.
Marking the 10th anniversary last summer, Mrs Hendry pointed out that the garden was valued during the pandemic as a safe outdoor space.
"Even in these difficult times when I'm round working in the garden people will always stop for a chat and many visitors come in and ask about it," she said at that time. "It’s good to see friends meeting in the garden with a coffee, as it’s a nice space to meet up in a socially distanced way.
"Everyone is welcome in the garden. All we ask is that people treat it with respect."
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