TREASURES including two full-sized swords and a pair of prized guitars which belonged to a Shipley woman’s late husband have been stolen by callous thieves.

Lucy Parker was away when burglars forced a kitchen window and broke into her home in Branksome Drive and made off with the ornamental swords, made by her husband Tony, a former fireman who was based at Bingley fire station.

Mr Parker had been suffering with deteriorating health following a stroke and took his own life aged 58, while the couple were on holiday in Poland in 2014.

“Tony was always making things and had made the swords with handles using wood from old pews at the church where we were married, St Anne’s Roman Catholic Church in Bradford,” said Mrs Parker.

“They were just decorative and stood with a suit of armour we had in the house.

“Tony loved playing the guitar and if I could have anything back it would be his guitars, a burgundy Epiphone G44 and a steel-stringed acoustic.

“I have a picture of him with the electric one on the wall behind him as he sits on the sofa with one of our German Shepherd dogs and also of him with one of the swords.”

“Other things that were taken included his grandad’s First World War bugle, a bone handled Bowie knife and six Laguiole penknives collected during holidays in France.

“Whoever did it just grabbed a few things and then they slashed the sofa before leaving,” said Mrs Parker, who was married for 33 years.

She told how her husband, a fireman and water rescue instructor at Bingley, had just retired when he suffered a stroke in 2010.

He made a good recovery, but she said health issues in the run up to his death had led him to commit suicide.

“I’m very sad to have lost all these things which are really of very little value to anyone else, but are extremely precious to me.

“I’ve been hunting round auctions, but with no luck so far.

“I just hope someone recognises any of my missing things and hands them in to the police.”

West Yorkshire Police confirmed the details of the burglary and said they were appealing for information in relation to the incident, which happened last month.

A police spokesman asked anyone with information about the break-in to call 101 and quote crime reference number 1310167031.