Vandalism of war memorial 'heart-wrenching'
KirstyThe vandalism of a war memorial only six weeks after it went on display has been described as "heart-wrenching" by a relative of one of the veterans it honours.
The Imjin Veterans' Memorial Group unveiled the structure at Cyril Hart Arboretum in the Forest of Dean on 24 April to mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Imjin River.
Kirsty, whose great uncle, Raymond Turley, is one of the Glorious Glosters named on the memorial plaque, said discovering several names had been scratched out was "upsetting".
Julia Gooch, district councillor and chair of the steering group behind the memorial, said it would be repaired as soon as possible, with additional steps to be taken to protect it.
Fifteen men from the Forest of Dean fought in the battle in April 1951, which was credited with saving South Korea's capital, Seoul, from capture by Communist forces.
About 400 members of the Gloucestershire Regiment held out against 10,000 Chinese troops for three nights during the battle on hill 235, which was later renamed Gloster Hill.
The defacing of the plaque is believed to have happened over several days, and Gooch said the initial damage was done on Thursday.
"People are horrified and this is not a true reflection of the Forest as a whole," Gooch said of the vandalism to the memorial, which was erected after £18,000 was raised in donations.
"[The arboretum] is a place of reflection, which was one of the reasons why that site was chosen."
Kirsty said she and others could not believe "how disrespectful people are".
"It's a part of history and my mum always said her uncle never really spoke about what happened over there because it was just too horrific to talk about," she said of the battle.
"The Forest of Dean is only tiny and when we have something like this happen... it's a piece of your heart, you realise what people from here did back then."
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