Walker Memorial Garden Vandalised
In the early hours of Tuesday 30th July the statue of Governor Walker, which has stood in the Walker Memorial Garden beside the Memorial Hall was attacked and badly damaged. The attack last night has left the left arm destroyed. A tablet which lists the names of the “Brave 13” has been completely destroyed.
The statue was originally sited on top of “Walker's Pillar” on Royal Bastion on the Walls. Following the destruction of the pillar in 1979 by an IRA bomb the statue was recovered and restored before the opening of the Memorial Garden in 1992. The garden and statue have been part of the Apprentice Boys exhibition which has been open to the public for five years now.
The garden and statue, like the rest of the Hall, has been the subject of countless attacks over the years. The statue itself suffered damage before when the hand of the left arm was destroyed in a previous attack. The attack if particularly damaging now as a hand, to replace the one destroyed was ready to be fitted to the statue.
If anyone was in the area of the Society Street last night and saw anything which might help the police we would encourage you to contact Strand Road police station.
Posted at 11:41 on Friday 30th July 2010