Man arrested after two attacks on Ballymena war memorial

The War Memorial in Ballymena that was damaged on two occasion in recent days.

A 26-year-old man has been arrested after two attacks on a Ballymena war memorial which police are treating as linked sectarian-motivated hate crimes.

The man was arrested on suspicion of theft and criminal damage following incidents at the Queen Street memorial in Harryville on Saturday, 8 August and Monday, 10 August.

Police confirmed today, Tuesday 11 August, that the 26-year-old remains in custody.

The arrest marks the latest development in an investigation which began after flags were stolen and flag poles damaged at the memorial twice in three days.

Police investigation remains ongoing

Superintendent Calderwood thanked those who have already assisted police but stressed that enquiries have not concluded following the arrest.

He said:

“I would like to thank all those who have assisted us with our enquiries so far but our investigation into these incidents is ongoing and I would continue to appeal to anyone who was in the Queen Street/Harryville areas early in the morning on Saturday 8th or Monday 10th August and who may have noticed any suspicious activity or captured dash-cam footage which could assist with our enquiries to contact us.

“You can contact police using our witness appeal form at https://reporting.psni.police.uk/appealsquoting 275 10/08/26, or call us on 101.

“Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/.”

Police had previously confirmed they believed the two incidents were linked and were treating them as sectarian-motivated hate crimes.

Memorial targeted twice in three days

The first incident happened early on Saturday morning, when flag poles were broken and flags taken from the Queen Street memorial.

Replacement flags were subsequently put up, but the memorial was targeted again in the early hours of Monday morning, when flags were once more reported stolen and flag poles damaged.

Independent Ballymena Councillor Rodney Quigley reacted angrily following the second attack.

He said:

“After replacing the Memorial flags on Saturday, we wake again this morning to discover that the Queen Street Memorial to those from the street who died at the Battle of the Somme on 1 July 1916 has been vandalised for the second time in three nights, with the flags once again stolen.

“Whoever carried out these two attacks are nothing but the scum of the earth and have nothing positive to offer today’s society.

“This is not usually the kind of language I use on social media, but after these two attacks, I can find no other words to describe the individuals responsible.

“Rest assured, the pole will be fixed and the flags replaced, just as they were on Saturday.”

Memorial honours Queen Street’s fallen

The memorial was erected by the local community around 15 years ago in remembrance of men from Queen Street who died on 1 July 1916 at the Battle of the Somme.

It originally stood beside the former pipe yard wall but was removed when construction began on the Home Bargains store site.

The memorial was reinstated in June this year around 20 yards further along Queen Street, while a memorial summer seat was also added earlier this year.

Volunteers from Harryville and Clonavon Recovery & Regenerate had also spent recent weeks cleaning, tidying and improving the area around the memorial and its commemorative bench.

Descendants expressed ‘hurt and anger’

The repeated attacks prompted widespread condemnation, with Ulster Unionist Party Braid Councillor Alan Barr revealing that descendants of men killed in action had contacted him to express their hurt and anger.

Councillor Barr said:

“There can be no justification for desecrating a memorial to those who gave their lives. It is an act of disrespect not only to the fallen, but to their families and descendants and to the wider community.

“Over the past couple of days, descendants of men who were killed in action have contacted me to express their hurt and anger at what has happened.”

Ulster Unionist Party leader and North Antrim MLA Jon Burrows also described the repeated attacks as “despicable and deeply disrespectful”.

Following the second incident, he said:

“To attack this memorial once was disgraceful. To return and target it for a second night shows a level of contempt for our community, for the volunteers who care for this area and, above all, for the memory of those commemorated here.”

The arrest does not bring the police investigation to an end. Officers are continuing to seek witnesses and footage from both mornings as they work to establish the full circumstances surrounding the two incidents.