For the second time this year, graves of Australian soldiers killed in World War One have been desecrated at a cemetery in Britain.
Vandals have hit around a quarter of the 112 graves at the Saint Mary's Churchyard Cemetery in Harefield, west of central London.
Aileen Phillips reports.
It is not the peace and quiet you would expect at a cemetery.
That is because a group of local residents have had to bring in a steam-cleaning machine in an attempt to remove bright blue graffiti scribbled across the gravestones of Australian soldiers.
But the vandals did not stop there.
During the most recent attack, the vandals also attempted, but failed, to saw the flagpole in half.
Local councillor Jane Palmer says she is dismayed.
"I can't come up with any logical reason why anybody should do this. And it was an instinctive emotion for me -- as I stood there, tears just came to my eyes."
The World War One soldiers buried in the cemetery were patients who had been being treated at Harefield Hospital when they died.
The headstones had been renovated and newly engraved by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission for the First World War Centenary last year.
A stonemason for the commission, Alastair Goodall, says he was shocked when he saw the damage.
"I'm quite dumbfounded, because a lot of work has gone into this cemetery. And just to see it is very upsetting -- very upsetting."
It is the second time this year such an attack has happened at the cemetery.
On the eve of Anzac Day in April, a few of the graves were daubed with paint, and vandals tried to pull down the flagpole.
Saint Mary's Church warden Rowena Scott says it shows the utmost disrespect.
"I normally organise the Anzac Day service, so to discover this is totally devastating. When you think that these graves have been here for a hundred years, and twice this year they've been desecrated, I just cannot believe that anybody would do this to these soldiers who gave up their lives to fight for their mother country."
Jane Palmer, the councillor, says, a century on, the village still has very strong links with Australia.
"It's part of the village's history. The soldiers were cared for in Harefield Hospital up at the top of the village, and they were buried down in the churchyard. And the villagers have grown up with this for a hundred years, and we're very, very proud of the Anzac graves and our link to New Zealand and Australian soldiers who gave their lives."
Local schoolchildren attend Anzac Day ceremonies at the graveyard every year, and many Australians make the pilgrimage to Harefield to pay their respects.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission will spend the next few days cleaning and mending the headstones.
Local police have taken fingerprints from the cemetery and are scouring CCTV footage to see if they can identify anyone likely to have committed the crime.
Share
