“sickening” - that is how the theft of a war memorial plaque from a village church has been described.
The solid silver freestanding plaque commemorating fallen war heroes had stood alongside the altar in St Mary’s Church, Sledmere for decades.
But in the days leading up to the Easter Sunday service it was stolen prompting outcry among the dedicated teaam of volunteers who help to maintain the church.
Gwynneth Clark, secretary of the PCC and organist at the church for over 30 years, said: “We had been in there cleaning on the Thursday afternoon and we were there again on the Saturday putting the flowers in, and in between that time they have gone and pinched it. It’s sickening really because there’s only a few of us and we work hard,” Mrs Clark said.
“They must have been desperate people to take from a church,” she added.
A spokeperson for Humberside Police said the plaque, measuring eight inches long by three inches tall was stolen through an insecure door at the church between April 4 and 7.
A workshop at a property on Main Street and a garage at a detached property on Croome Road, in Sledmere were also broken into overnight on Saturday April 7, but according to the police nothing was stolen.
The opening of the church used to co-incide with Sledmere House being open to the public, from April to October only.
But over the last couple of years the church had been open to the public all year round, something which may now be reviewed in light of these latest incidents.
Anyone with any information about these incidents should call Humberside Police on 101.