Write a commentA new group has been formed following two incidents of vandalism during the past week where wreaths and crosses were removed and thrown around the road at the spot where 18 soldiers were killed at Narrow Water, Warrenpoint.
A spokesperson for Narrow Water Memorial Committee has stated that their aim is to "work towards the creation of a permanent memorial in the lasting memory of those that lost their lives at Narrow Water in 1979"
With the 40th Anniversary of the attack taking place in 2019 the group hope to plan a series of events and they are seeking to make contact with relatives of the bereaved, as well as individuals who were at Narrow Water on the 27th of August 1979.
If you want to contact them you can email them at narrowwatermemorial@outlook.com
The PSNI are appealing for witnesses to the recent attacks on the memorial.
Speaking on Saturday 6 October, Inspector Ryan Moore said: “We received a report around 7.30am this morning that wreaths had been damaged and thrown onto the road. It is believed that this happened sometime overnight.
“This is the second time this week that damage at the site has been reported to police. On Thursday 4 October, crosses were broken and wreaths scattered at the memorial on the main Warrenpoint to Newry road.
“And last month, damage was reported to us after an incident there on Saturday evening, 15 September.
“All these reports are being treated as hate crimes."
Inspector Moore concluded: “We would urge anyone who witnessed what happened last night – or either of the previous incidents – to get in touch with police. We would also ask anyone who may have captured dashcam or helmet cam footage on the Warrenpoint Road last night to contact us on 101, quoting reference number CCS 306 of 06/10/18.”
