Our parks; A long look at Norman Park in Birkby

Jan 12 2009 by Neil Atkinson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Our parks; A long look at Norman Park in Birkby; pictures

The inscription reads: “This Monument has been erected by public subscription in memory of the Men from the Fartown and Birkby districts who gave their lives for their country in the Great War 1914-1918.

“For God and King and home they gave their all.”

In 2004 the memorial was toppled and defaced.

The BBC reported: “The statue of a lone soldier in Norman Park, Huddersfield, was daubed with graffiti and obscenities including ‘Die 4 no reason, long live Hitler’ (sic).

“Four bronze plaques with the names of local soldiers who were killed during World War One were also stolen.”

Bob Mortimer, chairman of the South and West Yorkshire branch of the Royal British Legion, was quoted as saying: “It's disgraceful.

“I’m disgusted that somebody could do something like that to the memorial.

“It's a huge statue and had a steel strap holding it in place.

“It’s not just kids; the attack was planned and has taken some considerable effort.

“These brave men fought and paid the ultimate sacrifice so we could all be free and yet their memory is discredited in this way.”

At the time a police spokeswoman described the defilement of the memorial as “extremely heartless and disrespectful”.

She went on: “Memorials like these are often sited by loved ones as a fitting tribute to people who have passed away.

“Such senseless damage is likely to cause great distress to family members and friends.”

In the end it cost £5,000 to repair the statue.

Recently the Friends of Norman Park group has exerted much energy in helping to improve the facilities and atmosphere at the park.

In 2004 the group was given £10,000 from the National Lottery and continues to work hard.

It has been supported by local groups and politicians, with Clr Mehboob Khan, the councillor for the Greenhead ward, which includes Birkby, particularly keen to stamp out social problems such as graffiti in the park.