A century ago in October 1921 the West Lane war memorial was unveiled on the formal border of Bermondsey and Rotherhithe to mark the enormous sacrifice this community made in the Great War. The original memorial was funded by community donations and local businesses.
This week, the memorial was attacked and the poppy wreaths burned deliberately in the middle of the night. I hope the mindless attacker is caught and there are penalties for deliberately damaging a war memorial. If you have any information about the attacker please call the police on 0800 555 111 quoting the reference 3022437/21
We have replaced some of the wreaths and there is already a service planned for the centenary of the memorial on 8th October which everyone is welcome to but, in the meantime, the memorial needs repairing.
I am asking local businesses to contribute and Southwark Council. I also hope our strong local community will demonstrate support by donating to ensure the memorial is fully restored. It now serves as a reminder of every conflict since the Great War and is an important recognition from our community of all who have served our country.
If you can make a donation, however small or large, it will be welcome and you can donate online using the button below (please leave a note to say it is for the memorial) or in my local office at 149 Jamaica Road. I will also ask other local businesses to hold collection boxes for this cause. Please do give generously and let’s get our memorial fixed!
