1 week ago
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A row has broken out in a market town after residents claimed the relocating of a war memorial to a church graveyard nearly 70 years ago has put a 'curse' on the area.
Locals believe the decision to reposition the cenotaph broke a historic covenant and has resulted in ill luck for the Hampshire town of Andover ever since.
They are now calling on the council to put the monument - which was paid for by the relatives of soldiers from the First World War nearly 100 years ago - back in its original place.
Paul D'Arcy said the monument in Andover was 'dragged' to a graveyard in the 'dead of the night' and has contributed to the demise of the town - described as one of Britain's 'most depressing'.
The 54-year-old believes returning the cenotaph back to the centre - 'where it belongs' - would enable locals to pay respect to the monument and save it from vandalism.
Residents in Andover, Hampshire have blamed the relocation of the town's cenotaph for the area's decline
Townsfolk believe returning the monument to its original place would help save it from vandalism and enable more people to pay their respects
Paul D'Arcy has collected 7,000 signatures for his petition to return the cenotaph, which was repositioned nearly 70 years ago, to its original position
Locals believe the relocated monument has had an impact on the town, which has seen several household names including M&S shut shop in recent years
In a 20-year campaign to see the memorial relocated, Mr D'Arcy has amassed thousands of signatures in a petition and said he won't give up until he sees it reinstated.
The cenotaph was originally erected in the town centre on May 5, 1920, to honour the sacrifices made by residents during the First World War.
It remained on the High Street until August 1956 when it was moved to its current location at St Mary's churchyard.
Mr D'Arcy, who was 'born and bred' in the town and enjoys magnet fishing as a hobby, said: 'They put it in the back of a tractor and dragged it to the graveyard.
'It doesn't belong to the council, it belongs to the people. By removing it, they broke the covenant.
'The reason they were doing to move it in the first place was because they were going to extend the Guildhall - and that never happened.
'Because the families of the soldiers paid for it, it belongs to the people - not to the council.'
Mr D'Arcy believes the break with the historic covenant made by the 'townsfolk' is behind Andover's decline, with the area having lost several household names in recent years, including Marks and Spencer.
He said: 'The town itself started off like a London overfill town. It filled up and then it had a really nice shopping centre and everything back in the 70s and 80s and now it's just cafes, charity shops and pubs.
'If you walk around the town centre, a lot of the shops are empty. All the major retail brands - the big boys - they have all moved out the town. There are a lot of vacant empty shops.
'I think if it was in the town centre, more people would show more respect for it - being it's part of the British Army, I think it should be put back.'
Mr D'Arcy first learnt of the 'travesty' involving the cenotaph from a local historian in the early 2000s when he was working in a bar.
Alongside other passionate locals, he set up a market stall for several months and campaigned to have the monument put back into the town centre.
He said: 'We had a market stall in the middle of the town and had people come along and sign the petition. I ended up getting over 7,000 signatures which I still have got.
'We had done all that and they slapped a preservation order on it because they saw that we were gaining momentum. They were going on about the expense of moving it.'
The memorial, which honours residents who died in the First World War, was transferred from the High Street to St Mary's Churchyard
Earlier this year, Andover was ranked as one of the most depressing places to live in a poll run by ilivehere.co.uk.
Some time after the campaign was set up, the borough council placed a protection order on the monument.
Mr D'Arcy said: 'The council think they have got one over the campaign - they have listed it.
'They have put a protection order but we have got a covenant on it so belongs to the town folk, not the council... it's just crazy.'
He added: 'I won't give up until I see it back to where it belongs. I'm not going to get anything out of it - I'm doing it purely for those soldiers who are from my home town.
'It's not about any recognition, it's about the principle.
'I still now hang my head in shame, being from Andover and knowing what they have done.'
Derek Pickett was born in Andover and said his aunt, Florence, organised the covenant with other townsfolk.
The 75-year-old said he thinks there is a curse over the town as they have 'broken the oath' with the fallen soldiers.
The retired production foreman said: 'I think it's a curse that's bubbling up to the surface again.
'The fact is the cenotaph was moved from Andover Town Centre where it was the Guildhall into the graveyard. It really is out of sight, out of mind.'
He added: 'You drive around Andover forever and you won't ever see the war memorial. It's simply not a good thing for the town.
Derek Pickett, whose aunt organised the covenant with the townsfolk, says he thinks the area has been 'cursed' after the oath was broken
Some however have suggested that the restoring the monument to its original spot would see it surrounded by pound shops and litter
But others have commented online that it is 'fabricating a problem that doesn't exist, adding that the relocating the memorial back to its original spot would just see it surrounded with pound shops and litter.
One commenter wrote online: 'Nonsensical arguments littered with mentions of 'curses'. I've not heard of a single instance of the cenotaph being vandalised where it is.
'Just fabricating a problem that doesn't exist.
'I don't see how moving it to an area that is just littered with Wetherspoons drunks and surrounded by pound shops and coffee shops is more dignified then where it is now, in a spot where people can actually reflect in peace.
'There are far more pressing issues that are affecting those alive right now.'
Test Valley Borough Council said the issue had divided locals and that relocating the monument had many risks including the possibility the fragile structure wouldn't survive the move.
A spokesperson for the local authority said: 'We understand that this petition has been around for some years, and our position regarding the location of the cenotaph has not changed.
'The cenotaph moved to its current location 68 years ago, so most people have only ever known it in its current location. It moved to the Garden of Remembrance in St Mary's churchyard in 1956.
'As we have said before, the relocation of the war memorial is divided, and moving it for a second time risks disappointing as many people as it pleases.
'It is therefore incumbent on those who wish to see the cenotaph moved to provide answers to questions including how it could be relocated without being damaged, as we know it is very fragile and may not survive the move.
'Also, how much it will cost to move it and what will happen to the Second World War memorials on the wall behind the cenotaph?
'The memorial is Grade II listed and so its care is of utmost importance. We continue to manage and maintain the memorial and its setting sensitively and proactively.
'To that end, we have recently completed a project to uplight the memorial at St Mary's to give it greater visual prominence and make it easier for people to visit in the evening, should they wish to do so.'
