News|WW1 remembered
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.
18 Sir Hugh lights village beacon
HUNDREDS of Sutton Valence villagers turned out to watch theWWI beacon being lit on the evening on Sunday, November 11. Sir Hugh Robertson, former MP for Faverhsam and Mid Kent lit the
torch at exactly 7pm to the sound of the Last Post as thousands of other communities all over the country did the same. Sir Hugh is pictured here with Royal British Legion organiser Mike FitzgeraldMBE.
Maidstone Weald 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.”
Thankspaidto
a beacon team THANKS have been paid to the team behind the new beacon on Southons Field inMarden. The beacon on the public open
space on Maidstone Road was used for the first time as part of the village’s 100th anniversary tribute to the ending of Great War. A spokesman for the parish
council said: “We are proudto an- nounce that a beacon is nowm a village asset. “Thanks go to local resident
Brian Stratton who sourced and arranged for the telegraph pole to be erected and the basket to beat- tached by their sub-contractor Avidety aspart ofUKPowerNet- work’s ‘helping the community’ initiative.
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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