THE graves of East Lancashire war heroes may have been desecrated after vandals went on the rampage through a war cemetery in France.
The headstones of 112 graves at the Aval Wood Military Cemetery in Arras, northern France, were pushed over and broken in an attack last week.
Dozens of East Lancashire Regiment soldiers who died towards the end of the First World War are buried at the site.
A list of graves damaged was today being compiled by the Commonwealth War Graves Comission in Maidenhead.
Relatives of soldiers buried at Aval Wood Military Cemetery who want more information should contact 01628 34221 and ask for the information officer. A spokesman said: "There appears to be no political motive behind the attack and at the moment the French authorities are blaming youths.
"A full investigation is being carried out by the police and a French minister from Paris has been to the cemetery to see the damage for himself."
On Monday, 51 out of 54 headstones at the Bunyans War Cemetery were also vandalised and it follows an incident at the Orange Hill Cemetery where three headstones were damaged.
Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article