Thieves steal WWI memorial weeks before Remembrance Day

CTV BC: Veterans outraged after memorial stolen Veterans are fuming after metal thieves stole a bronze WWI memorial.

Veterans are outraged after metal thieves stole a World War I memorial from a Fraser Valley cemetery just weeks before Remembrance Day.

The bronze sculpture, which depicts two crossed rifles and a helmet, was designed to honour fallen soldiers from atop a cenotaph in the Murrayville Cemetery in Langley Township.

“Stealing anything from a cemetery is pretty despicable, but this is a more permanent object in memory of those who fought for us,” said cemetery supervisor Kevin Bunnett.

Bunnett told CTV News he was showing a veteran’s family the cenotaph last Wednesday when he noticed the bronze piece missing.

Cemetery staff are uncertain how long the sculpture has been missing, but have reported the theft to Langley RCMP.

“It seems organized to me. From what I’ve seen in the past at other cemeteries, there’s more than one person usually involved. They work in tandem,” Bunnett said.

Retired naval reservist Walter Poustie said he’s disappointed and angry that anyone would disrespect Canada’s veterans.

Poustie said it’s possible that a distant relative of one of the thieves fought for his freedom during World War I.

“Ironically, it made him free to go up there and steal the darn memorial,” he said.

An identical memorial was stolen from Fort Langley several years ago, but the Murrayville memorial was used to mold a replacement.

If the bronze sculpture isn’t found soon, the Fort Langley copy may have to serve the same purpose. Cemetery staff are hoping the memorial will turn up before Nov. 11, when veterans and community members gather at the monument to celebrate Remembrance Day.

Mounties say they will investigate any possible connection between the theft at Murrayville and the theft of 60 bronze vases from Victory Memorial Park in Surrey last month.

An alert scrap metal dealer called police when 28 vases turned up a few days later. Surrey RCMP are now looking for a Langley woman who left her ID behind.

Anyone with information is asked to call their local RCMP detachment.

With a report from CTV British Columbia’s Penny Daflos