Man who 'ripped head off WW1 Tommy soldier statue' is fined £1,000

A thug who decapitated a town’s World War One memorial has been ordered to pay £1,000 compensation and have treatment for alcohol dependency.

Myles Hannah, 25, caused outrage in Thrapston, Northamptonshire, when he ripped the head off the silhouette figure of a British ‘Tommy’ soldier on November 13 last year, two days after Armistice Day and five days after Remembrance Sunday.

Residents said they were ‘heartbroken’ by the disfigurement of the statue which had stood to attention by the town’s main memorial since 2018.

Thrapston Town Council said the statue had been ‘irreparably damaged’ and would have to be replaced.

Myles Hannah, 25, caused outrage in Thrapston, Northants, when he ripped the head off the silhouette figure of a British ‘Tommy’ soldier two days after Armistice Day

Resident Alec Saunders, 77, whose grandfather gave his life in the Flanders trenches, said: ‘Whoever did this isn’t fit to lick the boots of those brave lads who died for their country.’

Flowers were also torn out of planters placed proudly alongside the memorial in the night-time vandalism spree.

Police issued CCTV images of a man, wearing a hoodie and casually puffing a cigarette, strolling away from the scene, and later tracked down Hannah as the culprit.

Earlier this week Hannah, of no fixed address, was found guilty of criminal damage by magistrates in Northampton.

Police issued CCTV images of a man, wearing a hoodie and casually puffing a cigarette, strolling away from the scene, and later tracked down Hannah as the culprit

Flowers were also torn out of planters placed proudly alongside the memorial in the disgusting night-time vandalism spree

A community fund-raising page raised more than £2,000 in two hours to the ‘Tommy’ figure in time for Remembrance Sunday five days later

Where does the British ‘Tommy’ come from?

There are several origin stories around how ‘Tommy Atkins’ or just ‘Tommy’, came to be used to refer to a common soldier in the British army.

Though well established as slang by the nineteenth century, references have been found to date back to the French Revolutionary Wars.

Historic UK reports that at the Battle of Boxtel in 1795, the Duke of Wellington came across a soldier lying mortally wounded in the mud.

The Duke asked his name, and he replied ‘Private Thomas Atkins’.

‘It’s all right, sir, all in a day’s work,’ he then added just before he died.

Decades pass until, it is claimed, the War Office approaches the Duke for a name suggestion to personify ‘the brave British soldier’ to be used as an example to show how a ‘Soldier’s Pocket Book’ should be filled out.

Thinking back to the encounter, Wellington suggests ‘Private Thomas Atkins’.

Another rumoured origin of the ‘Tommy’ name goes back to 1745, when a letter was sent back from Jamaica concerning a mutiny amongst troops.

It is mentioned that ‘Tommy Atkins behaved splendidly’ in the incident.

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He was ordered to pay £1,000 in compensation for the damage.

He will also have to take part in the alcohol dependency treatment for a four-month period prior to 13 December 2023, while a Thinking Skills programme will require him to attend any appointments or take part in any activity required for a maximum of 40 days.

Insp Nathan Murray, sector commander for Wellingborough and East Northants, said: ‘Damaging a war memorial is a terrible desecration – I hope he now understands the hurt and anger he caused.

‘We know this offence caused a lot of upset within Thrapston, especially as it took place so close to Remembrance Day, and I am pleased the case was able to be brought to court and a conviction secured.

‘Damaging a war memorial is a terrible desecration and I very much hope the orders passed against Myles Hannah help him both appreciate the hurt and anger he caused, and to understand how to help himself and make better choices in the future.’

A community fund-raising page raised more than £2,000 in two hours to the ‘Tommy’ figure in time for Remembrance Sunday five days later.

Town council clerk Linda Marshall said at the time that residents had been ‘outraged by the disrespectful behaviour’ and the council hoped to get it replaced as soon as possible.

‘We really want to thank the community who have really pulled together magnificently, they really have stepped up’ Ms Marshall said.

The Tommy artworks, also known as Silent Soldiers, were created by the Royal British Legion in 2018 to mark 100 years since the end of World War One.

All the money raised through the sale of the Tommies goes directly to supporting ex-servicemen and women through RBLI’s services, which includes its social enterprise factory, and supported homes.

RBLI’s social enterprise, Britain’s Bravest Manufacturing Company, is based at RBLI Village in Aylesford, Kent which also provides homes to more than 300 veterans and their families – many of whom have life-changing physical injuries and mental health conditions as a result of their service.

Different designs representing British soldiers have appeared across the UK including the gardens of Lambeth Palace, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s official residence, and along the White Cliffs of Dover.