Row over replica plaques erected at a unique Harborough war memorial

A Royal British Legion stalwart has criticised replica plaques erected at a unique Market Harborough war memorial.

The Rev John Morley, 76, said the four name panels and story board put up in the Memorial Gardens were a “poor, pale imitation” of the town’s iconic Portico tribute at the former Cottage Hospital site.

The retired RAF Wing Commander said the project “dishonoured” the 1,665 brave men from Market Harborough who went to fight in the First World War.

But the town’s branch of the Royal British Legion (RBL) voted decisively to back the Memorial Gardens scheme.

And Mark Robinson, chairman of the Portico Group, set up to protect and preserve the beloved monument, labelled the issue “a storm in a teacup”.

President of Harborough RBL, John told the Harborough Mail: “I’m appalled and saddened to see these puny replicas in the Memorial Gardens.

“They are so insignificant representing the titanic efforts of our heroic townsmen in the war to end all wars in 1914-18.

“They are so lovingly and gratefully honoured and commemorated on the actual First World War Portico Memorial.”

The veteran priest declared: “These plaques are not worthy of the men who fought for king and country.

“They should now be removed pending an urgent public consultation.”

John, who served as a chaplain in the RAF for 16 years, said the panels were put up on Saturday March 21.

“The Portico is very special, if not unique, because it lists all the 1,665 men who fought in the war - and not just those who were killed,” he said.

“It’s a magnificent listed building – and it was erected at the old Cottage Hospital on Coventry Road in 1923.

“Townspeople came together to raise £5,000, a huge sum in those days, to fund this heartfelt tribute.

“That’s about £225,000 today.

“This unnecessary replica has cost rather less than £5,000 today.

“It’s also in the wrong place.

“The Memorial Gardens were created in 1953-54 by the old Harborough council as a place of remembrance for our town's servicemen who made the supreme sacrifice in the Second World War.

“It’s totally inappropriate that our men who risked and gave their lives in the Great War should now be remembered there.”

John said the Portico Group was set up in 2017 to ensure the much-loved stone salute “survived the redevelopment of the Cottage Hospital” as a luxury 70-bed care home by developer Sterling Rose.

“In this respect we did a great job in achieving the protection and integrity of the Portico.

“I was a trustee of the charity during this phase,” said John, who’s also the former chairman of Harborough’s RBL branch.

“The chair of the charity, Mr Robinson, then decided we should press on and place photo replicas of the Portico name panels in the Memorial Gardens.

“When I raised this issue I was dismissed as a trustee by a telephone call from the chairman.

“I was shocked because I was only exercising my democratic right to have my say.

“The Portico belongs to the whole community, paid for by public subscription in the post-war years in the early 1920s.

“As a priest, I have been conducting Remembrance services and events for the last 50 years.

“As a former military chaplain I have a very good sense of what constitutes a worthy memorial to those who died serving their country.

“This installation simply does not do that and should be taken down to let the public decide on its future.”

But Stewart Harrison, 72, chairman of Market Harborough RBL, told the Mail: “Our committee held a vote last January on the issue of the Portico pictures.

“We held a vote without John as he was away at the time.

“We voted 6-2 in favour of putting up the pictures.

“We were happy for them to go up and made Harborough council aware of our vote.”

Mark Robinson, who’s also chief executive of Market Harborough Building Society, said: “I’m puzzled by John Morley’s opposition to this.

“As a charity we are here to amplify and promote the Portico and educate more people about it.

“It’s a very powerful thing and this is the right thing to do.”

He added: “The Memorial Gardens project is a huge positive.

“We have got the support of the Royal British Legion in Harborough as well as local MP Neil O’Brien.

“I do respect John Morley to the extent that he’s not just Joe Soap and he’s entitled to his opinion.

“But he’s representing himself here and not the RBL.

“I don’t understand his argument because it has no logic or merit and he’s going out on a limb.

“He’s also wrong in saying the Memorial Gardens is a Second World War place.

“There’s a Boer War memorial there too, for example.

“We haven’t spent any public money on this either – it’s been funded by donations.

“If there is an outcry when this story appears then I’ll listen but that’s not my understanding.”