Cenotaph vandalism ‘shameful’

By Pam Wright Local Journalism Initiative pamwrightlji@gmail.com

Len Maynard is fed up with the disrespect and damage directed at Chatham’s cenotaph.

Last week, the King Street memorial was defaced by an errant spray painter who left two blue swastikas and the letters “CMB” on the stone monument.

“It’s damn shameful,” the president of Royal Canadian Legion Branch 642 said the following day. “I’m outraged. Something has to be done.”

A 30-year veteran with the Canadian Armed Forces, Maynard lived in a lot of places throughout his career before returning to his hometown in

Chatham. But he said he’s never lived anywhere where the community’s cenotaph is vandalized as much as the one in Chatham’s downtown.

Maynard said he’s approached the municipality and members of council many times about better security at the site, noting spotlights and cameras should be installed to better protect the war memorial.

“I’ve been asking for five years,” he added. “How many times do my brethren have to be subjected to this? There’s no more time for talk – something has to be done.

“I want something to be done,” Maynard stressed. “I’m a former soldier, not a politician.”

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