Veteran restores VC memorial

John Bradley, who served with the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards during the Falklands War, has painstakingly redone all the VC heroes' names in gold leaf as a mark of respect.

The repair work following the everyday damage caused by the Scottish weather was agreed with the council's grounds team who regularly clean the memorial before important memorial services carried out throughout the year.

John said: "I wanted to go to the next level for the memorial by reinstating all the lettering in gold leaf.

"By gluing the gold leaf in place and then adding a protective coating, the names of these VC winners will remain golden for many years to come.

"I do this work purely out of respect and dedication to those who served."

The work is just the latest that John has carried out over many years and has now cleaned numerous war graves across the length and breadth of the country, most notably, the headstone of David Stirling, the founder of the SAS.

His interest in restoration started after he retired. He met a stone mason who showed him how to tidy up memorials and gravestones. Many of his remarkable transformations can been seen on his FaceBook page.

Local charity, the Veterans Community Lanarkshire, which has worked closely with the council on several projects over the years, approached the Grounds Service on behalf of John.

Marina McQueer, the charity's VC Operations Manager, said: "John Bradley is one of our very passionate volunteers who was very keen to help assist with the care and cleaning of Victoria Cross Winners War Memorial in Hamilton."

Until now, John has paid for all the materials he needed to carry out his work.

But when council Grounds Services officers John Smyth and Derek Kelly, who are responsible for the upkeep of the memorial heard this they decided to help John.

John Smyth said: "Not only did we grant John permission to carry out the cleaning of the Victoria Cross memorial, but we agreed to provide all the materials and the necessary health and safety and PPE equipment to support John with his work.

"The council is absolutely delighted that we can support John in this way, and feel his story is a genuinely uplifting one. There are very few people who would travel across the country to honour veterans in this way, entirely at their own cost."