A GRAFFITI attack on Oxford’s oldest war memorial was branded “desecration” as a clean-up was carried out today.

The Tirah Memorial, in Bonn Square, which commemorates fallen soldiers from the 2nd Battalion of the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, was vandalised over the weekend using marker pens.

The stone structure became the city’s first war memorial when it was put up in 1900 to honour servicemen who died during the Tirah Campaign in British India’s North-West Frontier Province, which is now in Pakistan, in 1897-98.

And toda, those with connections to the memorial and the modern-day conflict in Afghanistan condemned the vandalism.

Major Terry Roper, of Oxford’s 7 Rifles Territorial Army battalion, said: “The memorial has a lot of connections and memories for the Ox & Bucks Light Infantry, who were the forefathers of the 7 Rifles.

“Why anybody could carry out such a ludicrous act I cannot imagine.

“How would they feel if it was done to a grave of one of their ancestors? Because that’s essentially what it is, it is a memorial to those who fought and died for their country.”

Dino Lemonofides, a volunteer archivist at the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry Museum, in Bicester, said: “I would think within our own circles everyone would be shocked and appalled anybody could do that to a war memorial.

“Only a fraction were killed in action. Most died from disease and they are buried out there. Nowadays, we bring the bodies home from Afghanistan, but there was no chance of that back then.

“From that point of view, the memorial still holds significance more than 100 years on.”

Passers-by looked on today as city council staff removed the graffiti from the monument’s west side using a chemical solution and pressurised water jet.

John Strong, 54, from Oxford, said: “It’s sick. The guys on the war memorial gave their lives for us. To me, graffiti on a war memorial is sad.

“What were the people who did it thinking of? If it wasn’t for those people on there they wouldn’t be walking freely around these streets today.”

Kirsty Rigby, 16, from Bicester, said: “I’m shocked. All they’ve done is put their names on there. It’s pointless.”

In a post on our website, oxfordmail.co.uk, one reader wrote: “Is nothing sacrosanct any more?

“I am really annoyed about this desecration. My grandfather served in this campaign as a colour sergeant with the 2nd Battalion Ox & Bucks LI and was shot and badly injured.”

tairs@oxfordmail.co.uk