RAF memorial sign in Long Sutton vandalised with swastikas

A memorial sign marking 100 years of the Royal Air Force has been vandalised in Long Sutton, prompting anger and sadness in a Lincolnshire community with deep ties to the armed forces. The damage was discovered at Winfrey Park at about 9am on Monday, when several swastikas were found scratched into the sign. Long Sutton Parish Council said the incident had been reported to Lincolnshire Police and described the vandalism as despicable.

The sign was installed in April 2018 near trees planted to commemorate the RAF centenary, giving the site a particular significance for local residents, veterans and serving personnel. In a county where the RAF has long been part of the landscape and identity, the defacing of a memorial has struck a raw nerve. Parish council chairman John Clarey said he was lost for words at what had happened and called it very sad.

He said vandalism was not uncommon in the park, but added that the council had not experienced anything as serious as this before. His comments are likely to resonate beyond Long Sutton. Across Lincolnshire, memorials and military landmarks are more than pieces of street furniture.

They are reminders of service, sacrifice and the county's long association with the RAF, from historic airfields to present-day stations that remain central to local life. That wider context helps explain why this incident has caused such distress. The symbols carved into the sign are associated with hatred and extremism, and their appearance on a memorial linked to the RAF centenary has been seen locally as especially offensive.

Mr Clarey also urged whoever was responsible to reflect on the effect their actions would have on others, particularly veterans and current service personnel, as well as on the memory of those being commemorated. The parish council believes the damage may have happened overnight. The sign has since been removed so repairs can be carried out, and it is hoped it will be put back in place in the coming days.

For many in South Holland and across Lincolnshire, the hope will be that the repair work is swift and that the focus can return to what the memorial was intended to represent - remembrance, respect and a shared local connection to the RAF. While incidents of vandalism can often be dismissed as mindless damage, this case has plainly been felt more deeply. A centenary memorial was created to honour a proud chapter of national and local history.

Its defacement has instead become a reminder of how fragile public spaces and shared symbols can be, and how strongly communities still feel when those places are targeted.

This story was adapted by The Lincoln Post from original reporting by www.bbc.com.