Veteran calls for action over ‘grubby’ Barry Cenotaph
The cenotaph is located outside the Memo Arts Centre
A RETIRED Army Sergeant from Barry is calling for the town’s cenotaph to be cleaned as part of commemorations to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Jim Fletcher, 78, served in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Royal Regiment (Berkshire and Wiltshire), where he lost friends while on tours of Northern Ireland and Cyprus.
After leaving the army at the age of 27, Jim settled in Barry, where he spent 30 years in the police, including a spell as liaison officer for schools in the Vale towards the end of his career.
The Barry Cenotaph, located outside the Memo Arts Centre, was unveiled in November 1932, probably by ER Hinchsliff, to commemorate those who lost their lives serving in the First World War. The monument has since been updated to acknowledge those who died in World War II and the Falklands War.
Built of reconstituted stone, the war memorial has inscriptions: “In proud memory of the men of Barry who fell in the Great War, 1914-1918, 1939-1945″ and “For freedom”. Panels on the base have inscriptions in English and Welsh.
Jim passes the monument regularly and expressed his hurt and anger at its current state: “It’s looking really scruffy and I’m not the only one who’s saying it. I was there with other veterans last November and we all commented on what a sad state it’s in.
“I consider it an insult and it upsets me. I appreciate there’s a cost to cleaning it, but you have to weigh that up against the sacrifice these people made for our freedom. It’s of paramount importance that they’re honoured, respected and remembered.
“I lost friends in Northern Ireland and Cyprus, and I want them to be remembered. The Cenotaph should be somewhere that local people and visitors to the area can come to all year around to pause, reflect and pay their respects, and yet it’s looking very grubby.”
Jim began researching who was responsible for the upkeep of the memorial, and discovered it was the duty of the Memorial Hall and Theatre Trust.
With national commemorations planned to mark the 80th anniversaries of VE Day in May and VJ Day in August, Jim believes this is the ideal time to clean and rededicate the war memorial. He said: “Realistically, this will be the last major commemoration where people who served in the Second World War are still with us.
“The few are becoming fewer with each year that passes, and I can imagine what they must be thinking when they see the sorry state of the Barry Cenotaph. By contrast, the Merchant Navy memorial outside the council offices on Holton Road is in much better condition.
“Let’s turn this into an opportunity to do something positive and get it cleaned as part of our commemorations this year. It would mean an enormous amount to those who served in World War II and to others, including me, who lost dear friends in later conflicts.”
The Memorial Hall and Theatre Trust has been approached for comment.
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