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Nazi graffiti desecrates Scots war grave
SICK: The spray-painted graffiti at the Peake Wood Cemetery, near Contalmaison in France
IT has stood undisturbed for decades - a simple, white headstone in memory of a brave Lothian soldier who died fighting for his country more than 90 years ago.
But the final resting place of Private J Shepherd, from Haddington, is among dozens of memorials in a French cemetery to have been desecrated with Nazi graffiti.
The grave of the Royal Scots soldier, who died at the Somme on October 26, 1916, was targeted over the weekend by vandals who scrawled swastikas and SS insignias on more than 30 headstones in the Peake Wood Cemetery, near Contalmaison.
The vandalism has been condemned by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and the McCrae's Battalion Trust.
The trust's commemorative cairn to honour Edinburgh Royal Scots soldiers who died in The Somme stands just 500 yards away.
Now they fear their monument could be attacked next, unless the vandals responsible are caught.
Edinburgh historian Jack Alexander, a member of the McCrae's Battalion Trust, said:
"We are worried that our cairn could be targeted.
"There are no security measures in place, so it could easily be targeted by the idiots who are responsible for this vandalism."
He added: "It is rare to see any kind of Nazi graffiti daubed at war graveyards and it is the first time I have heard of it happening here.
"It's impossible to gauge the mindset of the kind of idiot who does something like this, but I hope they can be caught, otherwise more memorials could be at risk.
"People cannot turn a blind eye to this kind of vandalism. With Remembrance Day less than a month away, this is not the sort of thing we want to see happening to the graves of the soldiers who gave their lives during the war."
The Nazi slogans were cleaned off by staff from the War Graves Commission after they were alerted to the damage.
Peter Francis, a spokesman for the organisation, said the vandalism was a "shocking act of desecration" on the memory of the soldiers.
He said: "It beggars belief that anyone would want to do this. Our colleagues in France were extremely upset when they discovered the vandalism and they are determined to find the perpetrators.
"Everyone is very shocked, angry and upset at this happening to a cemetery where many brave soldiers lost their lives.
"Nazi insignias had been daubed on 32 headstones in the graveyard. They have now been cleaned up to a standard befitting the brave men who gave their lives for their country.
"There is no indication as to who may have carried out this attack and there has never been any problem like this at the Peake Wood cemetery before.
"It is extremely rare to see any Nazi graffiti at our cemeteries at all, so we are taking this very seriously."
The Royal Scots Regimental Association said it had not been made aware of the graffiti, but added it deplored the vandals.
Private J Shepherd fought for the 13th Battalion of the Royal Scots. His service number was 13799, though little more is known about him. If you know more or are one of his relatives, please telephone 0131-620 8741.
This article: http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1696412007