Soldier Silhouette Believed Stolen from Bedworth

The individual responsible for an Armistice Day parade in a Warwickshire town has indicated his belief that a specially crafted soldier statue has been stolen. This 4ft (1.2m) figure, which portrays a “Tommy” or soldier leaning on a rifle, is one of several produced for Bedworth’s Remembrance Day parade, and its disappearance was reported on Saturday. Ken Whitehead confirmed that law enforcement had been notified, and the remaining silhouettes positioned around the town were subsequently removed as a precautionary measure. “It looks like they’ve been stolen, which leaves me flabbergasted because of what they meant to me and what they meant to… a lot of people in Bedworth,” he stated. Mr. Whitehead noted that two statues initially went missing from the market town, but one was recovered and reappeared on Sunday. The soldier figure that remains missing had been placed on grass near All Saints Church, adjacent to a memorial stone commemorating Frank Parsons, a local Royal Marine commander who was formerly in charge of Armistice Day memorials in the town. The town has observed Armistice Day annually since 1921. “We were thinking about leaving them out permanently, because Bedworth is a town that never forgets, and these were magnificent things,” he informed BBC Coventry and Warwickshire. “It’s an utter disgrace.” He further added that CCTV footage of the church grounds would be examined, and he issued an appeal for the soldier’s return. “Let’s hope it’s kids messing about and they’ve been and chucked them somewhere.” He concluded, “If you just return them to the Almshouses or the church, we’ll just turn a blind eye to what’s happened.”