Man claims Andover is cursed because cenotaph was moved

Paul D'Arcy, who has been campaigning for nearly 20 years to bring the war memorial back to its original location near the Guildhall, is calling again on the council to respect a covenant that he believes was broken in the 1950s.

Paul, 54, believes that a covenant was breached when the cenotaph was moved to its current location at St Mary’s churchyard, thereby "disrespecting the soldiers it commemorates".

"I believe that there's a curse on our town because we moved the cenotaph," said Paul, who is a web designer by profession.

READ MORE: Andover cenotaph: 100 years since war memorial unveiled

"I know it sounds like religious, but I just believe that there is a curse on our town.

"It's almost like the dead soldiers have been forgotten and put in a graveyard. And some of the soldiers weren't even from the same denomination as what the graveyard is. There were Muslim and Sikh men who may not want to be in a church of England graveyard.

"If the cenotaph is brought back to the town centre, I think there would be a lot more pride and respect for people that have served us. People would see the sacrifice these men made. And then maybe they show a little bit more respect rather than being tucked off in the graveyard where they are totally disrespected."

The cenotaph was originally erected in the town centre on May 5, 1920, to honour the sacrifices made by Andover residents during the First World War. 

The war memorial has been a hot topic of discussion in the town for a long time as there are active campaigns to move it from St Mary’s churchyard to the High Street

It remained in the High Street until August 1956 when it was moved to the church premises to allow the then council to resurrect plans to extend the Guildhall down the High Street, and also to protect the monument from vandalism.

However, the Guildhall was never extended. And Paul says the war memorial is now abused by antisocials who "urinate on it" and "smoke drugs" near it.

SEE MORE: Andover may have a referendum on moving Cenotaph

The campaigner says the monument was relocated in the 'middle of the night on the back of a truck'.

"Andover Cenotaph was a covenant," he said. "It means that the townsfolk paid for it. The council, by law, cannot remove it. But they did it and they broke the covenant."

The war memorial has been a hot topic of discussion in the town for a long time as there are active campaigns to move it from St Mary’s churchyard to the High Street

The campaign to bring the cenotaph back to the town centre was originally started by Andover resident Russell Tarrant, who was joined by Paul.

The duo together, with the help of local businessman Ron Wood, got signatures of 7,000 Andover residents who want to see the cenotaph brought back to the town centre.

Russ died in 2018 and Paul decided to reignite his campaign after he heard that the borough council had slapped a protection order on the monument.

Paul D'Arcy, who is known as Magnet Man, is also committed to cleaning up Andover's waterways (Image: Contributed)

"They've stuck a preservation order to just stop us from doing what we're doing," Paul said.

"But the covenant takes priority over the preservation order. It doesn't matter how many preservation orders they slap on it. The fact is they've already contravened a covenant in the first place. So their preservation order is actually illegal."

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He also said the town centre is a better place for the monument, claiming that vandalism is less likely due to security cameras.

Paul said he has the backing of the Royal British Legion and he has also spoken to Kit Malthouse MP about the issue. He also believes the Royal Engineers would move the cenotaph for free if the council is willing to approach them.

A spokesperson for Test Valley Borough Council said: “We understand that this petition has been around for some years, and our position regarding the location of the cenotaph has not changed.

“The cenotaph moved to its current location 68 years ago, so most people have only ever known it in its current location. It moved to the Garden of Remembrance in St Mary’s churchyard in 1956.

“As we have said before, the relocation of the war memorial is divided, and moving it for a second time risks disappointing as many people as it pleases. It is therefore incumbent on those who wish to see the cenotaph moved to provide answers to questions including how it could be relocated without being damaged, as we know it is very fragile and may not survive the move. Also, how much it will cost to move it and what will happen to the Second World War memorials on the wall behind the cenotaph.

“The memorial is Grade II listed and so its care is of utmost importance. We continue to manage and maintain the memorial and its setting sensitively and proactively. To that end, we have recently completed a project to uplight the memorial at St Mary’s to give it greater visual prominence and make it easier for people to visit in the evening, should they wish to do so.”