A STATUE commemorating Bradford’s fallen First World War heroes has been torn down - and vandals are suspected to be to blame.

The six-foot tall aluminium Tommy silhouette was one of a pair installed at Greengates war memorial in June last year, in memory of the young men from the area who lost their lives during the Great War.

Earlier this week, Mike Frazer, from Friends of Greengates Cenotaph, found one of the statues had been snapped at its base, and the other damaged at its base.

Initially, he thought strong winds were to blame, as the lightweight statues are designed to bend in wind.

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However, after speaking to the company which makes the statues, British Legion Industries, Mr Frazer was told the statues would not break like they had in the wind.

This made Mr Frazer suspect the statues, which cost £750 each and had been paid for through donations from local Greengates businesses and residents, had been deliberately damaged by vandals.

He said: “It has been snapped off at the base. At first we thought it was the wind, but when I contacted the manufacturer they said that has never happened before.

Now we believe it is vandalism people will be appalled. This was something the community paid for and it has been vandalised" - Mike Frazer, of Friends of Greengates Cenotaph

“Therefore we believe it was vandalism, which is appalling.

“I shared what had happened at first when we thought it was the wind, and of course there was some concern about it.

“Now we believe it is vandalism people will be appalled. This was something the community paid for and it has been vandalised.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: The other remaining Tommy statue has also been damagedd at the cenotaph in Greengates. Both have been vandalised at the war memorial gardens..The other remaining Tommy statue has also been damagedd at the cenotaph in Greengates. Both have been vandalised at the war memorial gardens..

“I have spoken to Bradford Council and they are aware of it. When the statues were put in, the Parks department were very helpful, and I will also be informing the police.”

Mr Frazer said he has already had an offer from a local tradesman to repair the statue and restore it to its former glory.

“I was in The Cracker Barrell micro-pub and one of its customers, who is a welder, has offered to help,” added Mr Frazer.

“It is a clean break at the bottom, so he said he would try and weld it back together.”

The Tommy statues were installed last year at the war memorial to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War.

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Councillor Jeanette Sunderland (Liberal Democrats, Idle & Thackley) said: “I was shocked to see this, I have no idea why anyone would even consider it.

“This is a memorial where a lot of young people are involved in Armistice services and there is a lot of community involvement in looking after it.

“It is a snub on their own community, and if the people who did it are regretting it, they should get in touch and we will find a way to put things right.

"I suspect they did it because they thought it was funny, but I don't think this is funny in the slightest."