EXCLUSIVE 'Britain's most callous crooks' ARRESTED: Vicar celebrating after metal military memorial plaque returned... but one is still missing and more 'iron thieves are on the loose'
A vicar has been left stunned after one of two stolen bronze war memorial plaques was dramatically recovered by police, as officers confirm two have been arrested.
The 90kg plaque, which vanished from the entrance of a Kent churchyard in a heartless raid, was found dumped at a scrapyard in Essex on Wednesday.
In emotional scenes, four officers carried the historic tribute - dedicated to 150 local men who died in the First World War - back to Christ Church Luton in Chatham, where a jubilant Reverend Angela Leonard, 65, is now deciding where to reinstall it.
'I just can't believe it. I had thought it would have been cut into pieces by now,' she said.
'The police have been so good. We just hope we can get the other plaque returned so we have them both back. I honestly just can't believe it.'
But while one plaque is home, the hunt is still on for its missing twin, with detectives warning of more 'iron thieves on the loose' after the church was targeted in a night-time raid that has left the community reeling.
Police confirmed two people had been arrested in connection with the theft as the search continues for the second piece.
A Kent Police spokesperson said: 'Officers investigating the reported theft of two memorial plaques from a Chatham churchyard at around 10pm on Friday 23 May 2025, have detained two men.
Callous iron theives are being hunted by police after stealing two metal military memorials from a villiage churchyard.
Devastated parishioners have been left in tears after the plaques - which held the name of the town's 150 First World War heroes for more than 100 years - were ripped from the wooden gateway.
Thieves are said to have carried out the cruel operation under the cover of night.
Jonathan Pout, the head gardener of Christ Church Luton, in Chatham, Kent, was horrified to discover the bare spaces on Saturday, May 24.
The retired engineer told MailOnline: 'I am the one who discovered they were gone so you found the right man.
'It was on Saturday morning at 10am, I came to do some bits in the garden and as I walked through the gate I noticed some wood on the floor and I thought 'strange'.
'Then I looked up and saw the plaques were gone.
Devastated parishioners have been left in tears after the plaques - which held the name of the town's 150 First World War heroes for more than 100 years - were ripped from the wooden gateway
'Thankfully within a matter of minutes there were other people here with me, and within the hour we'd posted it all over the website and the police had been contacted.
'It was very strange, I must admit, you just never expect items like that to be stolen.
'They're not just in the church grounds, they also hold a lot of significance, a lot of sentimental value.
'The immediate community have been informed too and they are a little bit disgusted with the thieves actions. I think initially people just felt rage.'
The family of one of the war heroes offered £500 as a reward for its return after hearing about the church's loss.
The plaques had been a focal point for remembrance day commemorations, with crosses and poppies left below the names.
They had recently been refurbished and restored to their original position on the lynchgate.
Mr Pout suspects the plaques were taken with a crowbar and said they would have been recognisable had the crooks tried to sell them on.
Mr Pout suspects the plaques were taken with a crowbar and said they would have been recognisable had the crooks tried to sell them on
Reverend Andrea Leonard, 65, who has headed up the church since 2015, said the plaques had been taken under the cover of darkness on Friday night.
The former missionary said: 'At first it was a terrible shock, we all felt violated and very sad - there were tears on Saturday.
'On Saturday morning there is a group of volunteers who come and do the garden and cleaning and stuff, so we all came in.
'I arrived a bit later and everyone was just stunned because you can't quite get a handle on who would do something like that.
'I've looked up the price of brass and it's £3 a kilo, suppose they're both around 25 kilos, that's £150, but to us they're priceless.
'I think what has shocked people, and I've said his before is, if it was a laptop you'd just think 'oh I'll get another one' but this is something different.
'It just feels like, well, it is desecration, isn't it really of a memorial.
That's not the Christian way, you know, we have a certain example, and if everyone forgave like that, they wouldn't have been a war in the first place.'
The plaques were secured to the walls with security bolts - leading Reverend Leonard to believe they were stolen by someone who knew what they were doing, as opposed to opportunists.
Failing recovery, Reverend Leonard says the plaques will be replaced with replicas made of less valuable materials.
The current church was built in 1983 and replaced a Victorian church which had to be demolished due to subsidence.
Jennifer Reddich, 56, was left heartbroken by the actions as her great uncle lost his life in the war and she often went to the plaques to remember him.
She said: 'The people who took the war memorial are really bad people because they are disgracing the people who fought for our country.
'I have got family who died within the wars, and they should be remembered, not stolen.
'It is really upsetting and it is really bad what they've done. It's disgraceful that they've taken war memorial, it's absolutely disgusting.
'On Remembrance Day they do services there and now there's nothing they can do them with.'
Alex Ayears, 37, who has lived in the area for almost eight years and attends the church on special occasions including Christmas, said: 'It's horrible, it's a real, real shame because they've been there for so long.
'I had hoped they'd be a bit too hot to handle and we'd get them back.
She added: 'I can't think of anything else like this that's happened around here.
'You think even the lowest people wouldn't sink that low.'
Churchgoer Dawn Crook, 56, who attends the church every Sunday, said: 'It's awful, it's disgusting, I can't believe someone would do that.
'Those soldiers died for our county - I hope they catch them.
'It quite emotional really because they've just put in a grave for a local soldier - and now the memorial has been taken.
'I felt very upset when I heard, so was the whole church family, because we love our church and it's just disgusting that someone would do that.'
And Leigha Pope, 19, added: 'It's just outrageous, it's disgusting. A war plaque memorial was stolen, it's an outrage.
'I haven't really heard anything else, it's just disgusting.'
A spokesperson for the church said: 'We are beyond sad to announce that our first world war memorials have been stolen from the lychgate.
'For over a hundred years these have been in place, honouring those from this area who gave everything for us to be free.
'If anyone knows anything about this desecration, please do contact us.'
They added: 'We have very kindly been offered £500 as a reward for information given which leads to the retrieval of our memorial plaques.'
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