First World War memorial in Chichester disfigured after apparent vandalism incident

The wooden sculpture on the North Side of Litten Gardens shows the same man in civilian life and during trench life. The hand of the ‘civilian’ side appears to have been cut off.

Reports first emerged on social media this morning, with one Nextdoor Neighbour user posting: “I've noticed the hand is missing off of one of the wooden soldier statues in the Litten Garden Memorial Garden. It has been cut off with a saw, very clean cut.”

Pictures from the scene show the damage to the sculpture, which commemorates the lives of the Chichester men who laid down their lives during the First World War.

The sculpture was based off L/Cpl Maurice Patten of the Royal Sussex Regiment.

In 2020, the same sculpture was vandalised when a flower, held in the now dismembered hand, was pulled from a plant pot.

The City Council has said that CCTV footage of the incident was handed to the police earlier in the year and an investigation is ongoing.