Vandals Target ANZAC War Graves In London

A churchyard in London containing the graves of Australians and New Zealanders who died in the First World War has been vandalised for the second time this year.

Jane Palmer, who is a councillor in Harefield, west London, visited the cemetery on Sunday and tweeted a photo of the graves covered in blue spray paint.

She wrote that she had been in tears when she saw the "desecration", which is thought to have taken place overnight on Saturday, 21 November.

"The ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) graves are a very very big part of Harefield village.

"It's something (people have) been brought up with and they've been brought up to respect and when they're desecrated like that people take it very, very seriously," she told Get West London.

"The community will come together as a result of it and they're very angry at what's been done. People were coming down to look at it whilst I was there and were obviously, visibly moved by it."

She was quickly inundated with offers from people wanting to clean the graves but says this will be done by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

The churchyard at St Mary's in Harefield contains graves from both world wars but those affected are among the 120 First World War graves.

Most of these are of Australian servicemen who died at No 1 Australian Auxiliary Hospital in nearby Harefield Park and are now buried below the unique scroll-shaped headstones chosen by staff and patients at the hospital.

Rob Bryan, Neighbourhood Inspector for Hillingdon North, encouraged anyone with information about the vandalism to contact police by calling 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, quoting reference number 0923805/15.

He told Sky News that the vandalism was reported to police at 7.45am on Sunday and, while they continue to investigate, there have not been any arrests made yet.

He also tweeted a warning to those responsible: "This is not going away.

"We will come knocking.

"What you did was wrong - do the right thing and hand yourself in."

Vandals attacked the same graveyard in April, the day before a ceremony was planned to mark the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli campaign, in which around 11,000 ANZACs were killed.

They sawed into an Australian flagpole and sprayed a memorial and information panel with similar blue paint.