I HAVE written before asking if anyone knew who sculptured the beautiful Boer War soldier in West View Park and, if possible, the name of the model.

I was shocked to find it had been vandalised (though, thankfully, not the actual soldier – too high, perhaps), I had taken my husband for a walk there and at first I noticed the balustrading had been changed for metal railings. Then, though I had seen graffiti sprayed over the plaques in the past (which was bad enough) I found they had actually been removed. That was absolutely heart-rending and disgraceful.

I researched the archives in the library and was shocked to find the removal of plaques had happened only very recently and I'd not read about it, though I can vaguely remember seeing the bulletin boards of the Courier stating that a local war memorial had been vandalised. But, at the time, I was scurrying through town to visit my husband who was in hospital for the fourth or fifth time since Christmas. I never thought it was that memorial.

I managed to get photocopies of a few of the items. Very interesting, but nothing about the sculpture or any photos of it when first uncovered. Nor any articles about Longbottom who designed it and B Sheppard who made it.

The soldier is beautiful and quite graceful. His body is so delicately seen through his uniform and he is standing so relaxed with his rifle loosely held in front of him while he scans the Pennines. It wouldn't have had the same impact in People's Park, for which I read it had been originally planned.

(Mrs) Valerie J Grierson