Mark Sutton at the vandalised Radnor Street cemetery Picture Ref: 77170-36YOBS have been told to keep their hands off a memorial honouring Swindon's war dead.

Last month we told how vandals had smashed civilian graves in Radnor Street cemetery and pelted debris at a Cross of Sacrifice.

According to local author and historian Mark Sutton, 86 soldiers from both World Wars are buried there.

The white stone memorial, donated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, was also daubed in graffiti.

Work to repair the damage is complete and Swindon Council responsible for the cemetery's upkeep says it does not want to be called out again.

Spokesman, Gavin Calthrop, said: "We acted quickly to clean up this disgraceful act of mindless vandalism.

"We would now ask all local people to help us protect these important memorials to those who gave their lives for their country."

Mr Sutton, 42, who has a particular interest in the two wars and how ordinary Swindon folk played their parts, fears basic morals have been lost.

He said: "Everyone says kids do this kind of thing because they're bored.

"But I know for a fact that there is more to do in Swindon now than when I was a kid.

"These people are just bad and it's hard for people to understand what motivates them."

One of the cemetery's brave heroes, Charles Henry Wiltshire, died weeks before Armistice Day on November 11, 1918.

He was 19.

Mr Sutton, of Drove Road, has failed to track down any surviving relatives in Swindon.

Another, 19-year-old, Arthur Cecil Ellis, who came from Farnsby Street, is also buried there.

He was killed on September 24, 1918. Around 6,500 men from Swindon saw active service during the First World War.

Official figures show 920 men died, but Mr Sutton suspects the figure is more like 1,200.

Kevin Shoesmith