Offers come in to help preserve town monuments to deceased

OFFERS of help to preserve war memorials and repair vandalised gravestones have been made following our publication of two important stories of local interest.

Former professional soldier David Eason has long been fighting to have Leamington, Whitnash and Warwick war memorials updated with missing names and properly maintained.

Now that all the names of those who died have been added, he has set about carrying out a survey of the restoration work needed, particularly to monuments in Whitnash, and the Czech Memorial Fountain in Jephson Gardens.

Since our story, he has been approached by Warwickshire surveyor Samuel Archer, who grew up in Whitnash and has long experience of working with English Heritage.

Mr Archer, of Paxton Brown Surveyors, has offered to survey all the local war memorials free of charge to assess what needs doing.

And following last month’s shocking story about some 50 gravestones, which were vandalised and knocked over at St Mary Magdalene Church, Lillington, and St Mary’s, Cubbington, a firm of monumental masons has offered to put right the damage. Judith Swinson, who runs Swinsons Masonary in Althorpe Street, Leamington, said the company would also help Mr Eason with the war memorials - and added that she wishes she could do the gravestone work completely free of charge.

But she says: “We are a small family firm and so could not cover all the costs of fitting stainless steel anchors to every gravestone that has been knocked over. However, after hearing from distressed relatives, I can say we will certainly carry out the work at no profit to ourselves.

“What has happened is awful - I came back from holiday to receive a number of messages from the relatives of those buried who sounded so distressed and wanted us to do something.

“New regulations mean all modern gravestones must have these long steel anchors fitted - that way they will not be knocked down in the future.”

Mrs Swinson added: “We will also have a look at some of the war monuments to see if we can do anything.”

Anybody who wants to help preserve war memorials can ring Mr Eason on 07896 201176.