Swastika graffiti insult to war dead

WAR veterans were reduced to tears after mindless vandals defaced a Fylde coast War Memorial.

Blue swastikas were sprayed on and around the monument in Fleetwood.

And among the stunned people who queued up to condemn the damage was Frank Bee, 83, a former Royal Navy man who took part in the Battle of the Atlantic in the Second World War.

Fighting back tears he said: "I have two pals whose names are on there. I'm lost for words. Why do people do these things?"

Chairman of Fleetwood Royal Naval Association Brian Welling added: "I'm disgusted. The people who have done this will brag about it so someone will know who has done it."

The desecration in Memorial Park comes just two weeks after the funeral of Fleetwood's latest war victim, Marine Darren Smith who died in Afghanistan. His name has yet to be added to the roll.

Ron Kennedy of the King's Own Association said: "I'm speechless. It's just crazy."

Local councillor Ruth Duffy said: "I'm appalled. You can't fathom out what goes through the brains of these idiots.

"And it's so terrible after we have lost a young lad, Daz Smith. I'm shocked someone in Fleetwood could stoop so low."

Police found spray cans in bushes close to the memorial and are carrying out house-to-house inquiries.

Insp Dave Vickers pledged: "We're going to leave no stone unturned in relation to this despicable crime. As soon as the person responsible comes forward and admits their actions, the better for them."

Within hours of the graffiti being found yesterday morning, Wyre Council workers had begun cleaning it off.

Coun Lynne Bowen, living places portfolio holder for Wyre Council, said: "Acts of vandalism are always taken seriously in Wyre, but to deface something that honours people who have died serving their country is downright disrespectful.

"We are consulting specialists to see how the memorial can be protected."

Blackpool Gazette
10 March 2009

Hitler wanted Blackpool as 'personal playground'

IMAGES of wartime Blackpool used to guide the bombs of the German Second World War Luftwaffe have been put up for sale.

Although the Fylde coast escaped largely unscathed from the ravages of Hitler's Blitzkrieg – the maps are a chilling reminder of the devastation that might have been.

The intelligence images, which have been plucked from a former
German military base, clearly mark the resort's main landmarks including the three piers, Stanley Park and Blackpool Tower.

Now copies of the maps have been released for sale by York company www.GermanInvasion.co.uk

Elaine Smith, chairman of Blackpool Civic Trust, said she was delighted to hear about the maps.

She said: "This will no doubt be a source of much interest to a lot of local people, especially those who were alive during the war.

"I've heard Hitler intended to use Blackpool as his personal playground after the war which is perhaps why we largely escaped the bombing.

"I know the Italian Gardens in Stanley Park were mapped by the German's as the paths in the Italian Gardens clearly mark the directions of North, East, South and West.

"I very much look forward to seeing it."

The maps and aerial photographs were issued in Berlin in the early 1940s by the German Department for War.

They cover most areas of Britain with an emphasis on the south and east coasts – likely landing areas for the intended invasion.

The Blackpool map shows a number of changes in the last 70 years. On the map South Pier is named Victoria Pier and a large swimming pool is marked nearby.

The former Central Railway Station, which is now Central Car Park, can also be seen.

Michael Cole from GermanInvasion.co.uk said: "We're expecting a lot of interest from around the country with these fascinating maps.

"I got them from Germany around a year ago and although a few copies have been seen in the UK over the years, they are still very rare.

"They have immense historical significance as some of the few surviving remnants of World War Two German invasion material and also as exceedingly scarce items of local history for the areas of the UK involved."

The first bombs Blackpool saw in the war fell on North Shore golf course in August 1940. The most serious incident came on September 11 when a stick of bombs fell near North Station.

One was a 500-pounder and Seed Street, off Talbot Road, took the brunt. Eight people were killed and 14 injured.

Blackpool Gazette
23 February 2009