Korean war veterans were shocked by the state of a national memorial, after they found out of control grass over-running the site and weeds climbing up the trees planted to represent their fallen comrades.
The arboretum in the Bathgate Hills was branded “horrendous”, looking shabby and neglected as veterans and trustees met with countryside rangers on Thursday to discuss management of the site.
One of the trustees, Bathgate Councillor Charles Kennedy, told a meeting of the town’s Local Area Committee: “It’s not the pagoda that’s the memorial, it’s the trees around it.”
The memorial was created by the Lothians and West of Scotland branch of the now defunct British Korean Veterans Association as a tribute to the memory of their fallen comrades.
The memorial is an arboretum of 1,114 native Scottish trees, one for every man who died, and a shrine surrounded by two mounds in the shape of the Ying and Yang on the Korean flag.
The shrine is built in the traditional style of a Korean shrine and contains name boards listing all the 1,114 men who died. It is the only memorial in the UK dedicated to the Korean War that does this.
The mounds have 110 Korean firs on them; one for every ten men who died.
Councillor Kennedy added: “The memorial is the whole garden. It was hugely disappointing when our chairman arrived to find no work had been done. The grass is horrendous and some of the trees have weeds growing up them.”
He said the response to questions about maintenance had been that the memorial was not a priority.
“The memorial is all the trees which commemorate the the deaths in the Korean War,” he pointed out.
Councillor Kennedy and veterans met at the memorial to view works at a new car park which were done after West Lothian Council secured funding in the summer.
While pleased that the work has been done, assurances have been sought on fencing to deter visitors from parking on the grass which also forms part of the memorial site.
Plans are in place for new fences.
Andy Johnston, Countryside Manager, said: “I can only apologise. There has been no change of policy to war memorials, and it’s not a case of it being de-prioritised. I will pick that up with my team and get someone up there as soon as we can.”
The memorial had been tidied up within hours of the complaint being raised in committee.
