Raf Wickenby memorials stolen for scrap

there is a yard not far from Wickenby which is notorious, as almost the entire missing haul of recent thefts showed up there. Yet the owner got compensation despite his yard being full of stolen council man hole covers and heaps of railway wiring! His excuse was he didnt know that Lincolnshire County council marked lids were stolen, and he lost money due to the police closing his yard for a few days… he must have a good lawyer.

That is really cheering news, thank goodness right has prevailed.

Good to see them returned, maybe resin copies could be made and mounted, while the originals could be hung somewhere more secure?

They have been found and returned, obviously to hot to dispose of.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-32297540

I noticed that the scrap dealers recyclers have a theft alert listing..so it might not be for scrap value.
http://www.recyclemetals.org/stolen
And this offer to help mark memorials invisibly is good..http://www.cobseo.org.uk/royal-support-for-the-national-campaign-to-reduce-war-memorial-theft/

I’ve had an e-mail reply from the Curator at Wickenby; Anne Law. They are deciding how they want to deal with specific donations for the replacement plaques.

also the 2ft bronze statue of Sarah, who died I think in 2000, it was outside her primary school… b*****ds, the prison in Ben Hur would do very nicely…

a sad world, indeed.
regards,
jack…

hi,

this as now been found abandoned, but is now safe and undamaged…
regards,
jack…

TW

Thank you for the link. I’m in touch via e-mail.

When I first saw the photographs of the memorial I did think that the theft could be the work of somebody stealing a ‘trophy’ rather than somebody after the scrap value of the metal; the scrap value would be very low (not that has stopped people before). Either way, utterly despicable crime!

Digging up a Spitfire wreck, or helping with the sale of parts knowingly gained in this manner, and flogging the parts on Ebay is different from unscrewing a war memorial for the scrap value how?

Now, I know you know there is a difference…

…or are you suggesting aviation archaeologists deserve a ‘good kicking’ too?

I’ll be happy to debate this one, but it deserves a new thread I think!

As usual, plenty of bitchin’ on the Forum but little to no practical action. If none of you want to complain as outlined at #9 then what about a collection from the members to pay for a replacement. I’ll lead the charge with £50. Perhaps Key would act as the focus for receipt of donations.

Information about how to donate to The RAF Wickenby Memorial Collection can be found on the left had side of their homepage; just scroll down http://www.wickenbymuseum.co.uk/Museum/TheHistoryofWickenby.html – I believe that they’re responsible for the upkeep of the various memorials on the airfield. 🙂

Sadly (VERY sadly) not all these things are stolen for scrap…. Many a valuable artefact has been stolen to adorn the wall of a wealthy collector.

An interesting point. Inappropriate as discussing it in this thread may seem, I have observed that a fair number of the online community here and elsewhere seem to have far less of a problem with parts taken from high ground wrecks or other crash sites. I would love to think that specific parts are grubbed from historic wreck sites in the middle of the night by enterprising pikeys, but it seems unlikely. I know that one of my friends has a small piece off of the Catalina wreck on Barra. Harmless I know, but if everybody takes a small piece of that Catalina then there will be little of it left in the next few years. I’m speaking the obvious here I know. In other news we have seen crash sites excavated where many personal items were recovered, down to pieces of parachute material and pieces of uniform fabric in some cases, but no human remains. I find that surprising. I would love to think that people aren’t actively ignoring obvious bone fragments and the like so that they can keep removing bent metal from the ground with impunity. I know a few people in commercial archaeology, and nothing is surprising; they don’t enjoy filling out paper work any more than anybody else.

From what I’ve read here and elsewhere, it would appear that aircraft “preservation” societies spent a lot of weekends poaching parts from wreck sites in the ’70s to ’90s. There also appears to be a steady stream of parts turning up on Ebay which were clearly liberated from crash sites. Digging up a Spitfire wreck, or helping with the sale of parts knowingly gained in this manner, and flogging the parts on Ebay is different from unscrewing a war memorial for the scrap value how?

I’m not trying to take anything away from the crime in question in this thread. Stealing war memorials is about as low as it gets, especially if it is just for the value of the scrap. I personally think the thieves should be punished more severely because they targetted a war memorial (why not just steal drain covers?). ‘Clean’ scrappies have to maintain paper trails for all of the materials they handle, so any that touch war memorials and therefore aid and abet this sort of thievery also need a good kicking. In my opinion.

As usual, plenty of bitchin’ on the Forum but little to no practical action. If none of you want to complain as outlined at #9 then what about a collection from the members to pay for a replacement. I’ll lead the charge with £50. Perhaps Key would act as the focus for receipt of donations.

Why do people get so upset about an object like this getting damaged? The real fury should be directed at the way veterans who are still alive are treated..or actually not treated to the care they deserve. It is left to charity to help many who gave a big chunk of their lives and their soul to serve the country on behalf of others who could not or would not be ready to obey orders to stand up and fight. Why do many in the UK scoff at the growing attitude now prevelant in the USA where veterans are treated with respect ? I do note some signs of change which is encouraging. The readers of this forum are already fully engaged with respect for those who served ,how does the message get spread that those who served in any aspect need real practical help. Spend the money on help and also take time to find those in your area who could do with friendship if they are lonely.

I believe that the funds for this memorial were raised by the Squadron Associations and the veterans themselves, so IMHO its desecration by stealing the badges is wholly disrespectful to them and their efforts to create it in honour of their fallen comrades- hence my anger.

Your points about respect and friendship are valid and some people also try to put in ‘shift’ in that way as well – PM me an email address and I’ll send you a recent example.

My father served at Wickenby as a pilot with 626 Sqdn and I was made very welcome there many years ago when bad weather blew in all of a sudden and I had to make a precautionary landing.

Why do people get so upset about an object like this getting damaged? The real fury should be directed at the way veterans who are still alive are treated..or actually not treated to the care they deserve. It is left to charity to help many who gave a big chunk of their lives and their soul to serve the country on behalf of others who could not or would not be ready to obey orders to stand up and fight. Why do many in the UK scoff at the growing attitude now prevelant in the USA where veterans are treated with respect ? I do note some signs of change which is encouraging. The readers of this forum are already fully engaged with respect for those who served ,how does the message get spread that those who served in any aspect need real practical help. Spend the money on help and also take time to find those in your area who could do with friendship if they are lonely.

I believe VX927 is onto something as what they stole is worth very little compared to whats around the place. I bet they are stolen and on some scums fireplace.

Sadly (VERY sadly) not all these things are stolen for scrap…. Many a valuable artefact has been stolen to adorn the wall of a wealthy collector.

Either way, its absolutely disgusting what has happened. The Wickenby memorial and museum is maintained by such a great team of people… This really is saddening.

Is the ‘Falling man’ memorial still there? I saw it many years ago. I seem to remember it was made from the ‘scrap metal’ of crashed aircraft….
mmitch.

The figure represented on the stone is Icarus, it was installed in the 1980s (refurbished in 2010); here’s a basic description from the West Lindsay Aviation Trail publication:

“At the entrance to the airfield is an impressive memorial stone that features the badges of 12 Sqn and 626 Sqn; and a representation of Icarus. The RAF Wickenby Walk is a line of trees and plaques, from the memorial along to the watch office that has been planted in memory of RAF Wickenby’s veterans.”

Further details can be found on the museum’s webpage http://www.wickenbymuseum.co.uk/Museum/TheHistoryofWickenby.html

Tonyt and any one else who can assist

I am a volunteer for preservation of War Memorials.
Can I be given a contact who is responsible for this memorial.
Amongst other things I will be urging any replacements the this theft be treated with “smart water” identification so that any dealer will immediately be “on the spot”

I urge other memorials be treated in the same inexpensive way when dealing with bronze in particular.

I hope the Police went straight to any local scrap dealers and warned them, because without them, whats the point ?

Please contact me if you require assistance.