Australian Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux

On the steps of the Memorial recently, in mid-August, vandals sprayed ‘Coppé Baladur’ and ‘CQFD’ between two swastikas and ‘Signé FT’. Mysteriously, these two names – assumed to be Copé and Balladur – both names thus misspelled – are rightwing politicians though not currently in office. CGFD usually means ‘What must be said’ or ‘What must be destroyed.’ Another war cemetery, at Picquigny, was also sprayed with swastikas two weeks previously, on its entrance wall. Fortunately such vandalism is a rare occurrence and the CWGC will hasten to have the graffiti cleaned.

Michael Barker