A FUNDRAISING appeal has been launched to help repair the Forest of Dean Korean War Memorial after vandals scratched the names of soldiers honoured on the recently unveiled tribute.

The memorial at the Cyril Hart Arboretum was officially unveiled on Thursday, April 24, marking the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Imjin River, one of the most significant actions involving the Gloucestershire Regiment during the Korean War.

Less than two months after it was unveiled, the memorial was damaged, with several names engraved on the plaque scratched and defaced.

In response, Forest of Dean District Council has established a dedicated fund to help pay for repairs and restoration work needed to return the memorial to its original condition.

The appeal was announced by the Royal British Legion Cinderford Branch, which said donations can be made directly to the council using the reference “Imjin Memorial”.

The vandalism was first reported last week and has prompted widespread condemnation from veterans, community groups, local councils and relatives of the men commemorated by the memorial.

The monument was created following a community fundraising campaign which raised £18,000. It honours the soldiers of the Gloucestershire Regiment who fought during the Battle of the Imjin River in April 1951.

Fifteen servicemen from the Forest of Dean were among those who took part in the battle. Around 400 members of the Gloucestershire Regiment held off an estimated 10,000 Chinese troops for three nights on Hill 235, which later became known as Gloster Hill.

Their stand is widely credited with helping prevent the capture of Seoul, the South Korean capital, during a critical stage of the conflict.

District councillor Julia Gooch, who chaired the steering group responsible for delivering the memorial, said people had been horrified by the vandalism.

She said the damage did not reflect the values of the wider Forest of Dean community and confirmed the memorial would be repaired as soon as possible.

Mrs Gooch also said additional measures would be considered to help protect the memorial from future incidents.

Among those saddened by the damage was Kirsty, whose great-uncle Raymond Turley is one of the Glorious Glosters named on the plaque.

She described the vandalism as upsetting and said it was difficult to understand why anybody would target a memorial dedicated to local servicemen.

She said her family had always remembered the sacrifices made by her great-uncle and his comrades, adding that many veterans found it difficult to speak about their wartime experiences because of the horrors they witnessed.

The memorial was unveiled just six weeks before the damage was discovered and had been intended as a lasting place of reflection within the arboretum.

Donations towards the repair fund can be sent to Forest of Dean District Council by bank transfer or post.

Supporters hope the community will once again rally behind the memorial and help restore a tribute dedicated to one of the Gloucestershire Regiment’s most celebrated actions in military history.