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Arrests as Chatham church's WW1 plaque found at Essex scrapyard Arrests as Chatham church's WW1 plaques found at Essex scrapyard
(about 11 hours later)
Kent Police has returned the recovered plaque to Christ Church Luton in Chatham Two military memorial plaques disappeared from the grounds of Christ Church Luton in Chatham last weekend
Seven men have been arrested following the theft of two WW1 plaques from a Kent war memorial, police have said. Seven men have been arrested following the theft of two World War One plaques from a Kent war memorial, police have said.
Two military memorial plaques disappeared from the grounds of Christ Church Luton in Chatham between 22:00 BST on Friday and 10:00 on Saturday.Two military memorial plaques disappeared from the grounds of Christ Church Luton in Chatham between 22:00 BST on Friday and 10:00 on Saturday.
Kent Police said one of the plaques was recovered from a scrapyard in Essex on Wednesday. Police said both plaques have been recovered, with one substantially damaged.
The force said it initially arrested a 26-year-old man and a 25-year-old man, both from the Dartford area, and has now arrested a further five men from Medway aged between 22 and 51. The plaques were found in separate scrapyards in Essex on Wednesday.
The plaque was recovered from an Essex scrapyard, but its counterpart remains missing Both plaques have been found by police in scrapyards in Essex, with one substantially damaged
Christ Church Luton's priest in charge, the Reverend Andrea Leonard, told BBC Radio Kent on Thursday that she remained hopeful the other plaque would be found. Kent Police said it initially arrested a 26-year-old man and a 25-year-old man, both from the Dartford area, and has since arrested a further five men from Medway, aged between 22 and 51.
She said: "Hats off to the person, who wants to obviously remain anonymous, but who had the integrity to phone the police and say 'I've got something here that you want'. Christ Church Luton's priest in charge, the Reverend Andrea Leonard, praised the person who alerted the authorities to the first plaque.
"He actually spoke to me and he said he looked at the list and thought 'those poor lads that gave everything, they don't deserve this'." "Hats off to the person, who wants to obviously remain anonymous, but who had the integrity to phone the police and say 'I've got something here that you want," she told BBC Radio Kent.
Kent Police said it was trying to find the second plaque and appealed for anyone with information to get in touch. "He actually spoke to me and he said he looked at the list and thought, 'those poor lads that gave everything, they don't deserve this'."
"The loss of these memorials had a considerable impact on the local community and we were delighted to return one of the missing items to the parish within a few days of the incident," PC Alanya Spiller said. The plaques commemorate 163 people from the Chatham area who died in World War One
The plaques were stolen from Christ Church Luton in Chatham The plaques, which commemorate the 163 people from the Chatham area who died in World War One, each weigh about 93kg.
The plaques commemorate 163 people from the Chatham area who died in World War One and each weigh 93kg.
The memorial, which has been in place for 105 years, is "priceless" to the parish and relatives of the soldiers, Ms Leonard said.The memorial, which has been in place for 105 years, is "priceless" to the parish and relatives of the soldiers, Ms Leonard said.
She believes there has not yet been time for the still-missing plaque to be melted down, but that they will find a suitable replacement if they have to as "it just wouldn't be right" to a have a memorial with names missing. She added: "It was terrible when we discovered that they were gone.
"It was terrible when we discovered that they were gone," she said.
"We just could not believe it because it's not only the church, it's the whole wider community.""We just could not believe it because it's not only the church, it's the whole wider community."
Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.