Holy Roller once again whole
Members of the Hussars Regiment made repairs to the Holy Roller tank in Victoria Park Tuesday, after it was recently vandalized.
It left veterans — and those who worked tirelessly to restore the World War II relic — upset.
“I think it's heartbreaking. It's disgusting,” Lt.-Col (Ret.) Ian Haley said while watching the repairs take place.
“There's no need for it,” added Sgt. (Ret.) Gary Cambridge. “It's no different than going into a cemetery and kicking over grave stones.”
Haley and Cambridge were integral to the campaign aimed at restoring the tank to its original condition, but the repairs for vandalism fall on the Regiment.
"Since the tank has come back into the park, the part of the maintenance process falls onto the regiment's shoulders. They have the knowledge and they have the equipment to be able to do that now very rapid formation," he said.
The Holy Roller tank in Victoria Park in London, Ont was vandalized with an angle grinder on Saturday, June 11, 2022 (Brent Lale/CTV News London)A 44-year-old man has been charged after defacing the newly restored tank with a grinder, causing over $6,000 worth of damage.
"The encouraging part is somebody saw somebody reported it. So obviously, the Holy Roller is cared for, not only by us but by the citizens of London," Haley said.
People who showed up to watch the repairs wondered why more isn’t being done to protect it.
"We thought that it should be somewhere more equipped safer so that it wouldn't be vandalized as often,” said Kathleen Campbell, who wondered if the Sherman tank should be moved.
But that is an option that doesn’t sit well with Haley.
"It's meant to be a memorial to be seen in the public and appreciated by the public, so it's not going to get scared away if German Panzers couldn't do it. So one guy with a grinder isn't going to do it,” he said.
Increased security in the park, and other measures like cameras and better lighting are options the group would like to see to keep the tank from becoming a target for vandals.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.