News


downsmail.co.uk Anger at ‘Tommies’ blunder


COUNCIL designers have come under fire for artwork intended to mark the centenary of the WorldWar OneArmistice. The graphic (right) – onthe cover


of the latest edition of Maidstone Borough Council’s Borough In- sight magazine – shows three sol- diers walking into the sunset, and carries the caption “commemorat- ing 100 years”. But the silhouettes,whicharenot


recognisable as either British Tom- mies or any troops who fought in the conflict,have sparkeda barrage of condemnation fromformer ser- vicemen and women, as well as members of the public. Some have suggested they are


American GIswho served in Viet- nam, andtherehas evenbeenspec- ulation they are German paratroopers fromWWII. Derek Davison, membership


secretary for the Royal British Le- gion’s Leeds branch, said: “It's ac- tually quite nasty.Why do people have to do things like this at a time


like this? It bafflesme.” Alan Port, Headcorn’s Royal


British Legion chairman, said: “There are plenty of silhouettes of ourWorldWar I Tommies, if only the editors took the trouble to look. Unfortunately, it is too late now, the damage is done.” Reader Graeme Longmuir


agreed: “MaidstoneBoroughCoun- cil andtheirgraphicdesignersdon’t see this as an issue of respect.” And Maidstone resident Ann


Lack of research a shame


STAPLEHURST landlord Tony Jones,who servedwith theRoyal Green Jackets, spent six months working with artist Mike Flight to create a suite of silhouettes to adorn his pub, The Knoxbridge Inn, in time for Remembrance. His tableau shows British sol-


diers fromWWI right through to themodern day. He said: “Therewas a lot of re-


Big project atmuseum


ONE of the largest projects in the borough to mark theWWI centenary was held at Maid- stoneMuseum. Anexhibitionof5,000poppies


was launched on November 6, aheadofRemembranceSunday. MPHelen Grant said: “The


installation of poppies is truly striking and beautiful but the personal stories behind each handamde poppy is what makes the display so special.” Children, 665 of them, from


Loose Primary School each made a poppy for its wall dis- play. Pupils at Ditton Infant School came face to face with war veterans who told their stories.


8 Getting ready to remember


TWENTY hardy volunteers braved the weather to clean the cross on the North Downs above Lenham in readiness for Remembrance Sun- day. At LenhamPrimary School pupils set out 100 Remembrance crosses,


bearing the name of a soldier who lost his life inWWI. Photo by Peter Bailey


Maidstone East December 2018


search involved to get the uni- forms right, even though they’re only in silhouette. “I think somebody at Maid-


stone Borough Council hasn’t done their homework,which is a shame. “I’m not even sure their sol-


diers are fromthe right era – they look like Americans from the VietnamWar.”


Village creates


avenue of trees VOLUNTEERS from Holling- bourne village have successfully completed a 100-tree Avenue of Remembrance. The Royal British Legion was


joined by helpful residents such as Bob Young, who supplied his digger free of charge to create the holes for the trees and Nigel Davidson, who supplied more than 100 chestnut posts for the hawthorn trees. Derek Davison, Royal British


Legion member, said: “I would like to thank everyone who helped tomake this happen. “Our next flood of donations is


to fund a 10-year maintenance plan to help us meet the cost of keeping it looking smart.”


Read added: “It’s not difficult to get it right, it just shows a lack of attention to detail. Poor job,Maid- stone Borough Council.” Kevin Ford, on Facebook, called


the artwork a “stock image with- out a brief”. He added: “I’d be surprised if


the graphic designerwho did this remembers the job, they are liter- ally images arranged to a spec, issue andmove on,” he said. Maidstone resident, Chris Cass-


ley, had a more controversial the- ory.He said: “It actually looks like the silhouette of a set of German paratroopers, if I’mhonest.” Borough Insight magazine


landed on Maidstone’s doorsteps shortly before the centenary of Armistice Day – when the Allies and Germans signed an armistice (agreement) atCompiègne, France, to end hostilities on the Western


Front. The timing of the signing - the 11th hour of the 11thday of the 11thmonth – is a focal point of Re- membrance to thisday. The magazine’s editor, Georgie


Grassom, claimed the image “is a stylised depiction in commemoration ofWW1”. ShetoldDownsMail:“Itwasnever


meant tobehistoricallyaccurate.” But later,MBCleader CllrMartin


Cox issued a statementwhich read: “We are truly sorry that the cover of the recent editionofourBoroughIn- sightmagazine has given a number of people cause for concern. We wantedtohonourallour servicemen andwomen fromconflicts, past and present–theillustrationonthemag- azine seemedanappropriateway to do this.” The images were harvested


froma free-to-usewebsite believed to be based in theUnited States.


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