A LONG-RUNNING dispute over a memorial to soldiers at Chiseldon Camp has flared up again.

Kay Lacey, who owns the land where the memorial stands, defended her actions after a film of her removing the Chiseldon Parish Council remembrance wreath was posted on social media.

She said: “The problem is that I own the land, but there is no third-party liability insurance for Remembrance Day gatherings.

“The local parish council and the local vicar were told, on the advice of my solicitors, that they could no longer hold Remembrance Day services there because of the lack of liability insurance. Despite having been told this, Chiseldon Parish Council left a wreath on it last week.

“And so I returned the wreath to Chiseldon Parish Council,” Kay said.

The stone is on the edge of on Ladysmith Road, next to where an army camp existed between 1914 and 1962.

It was put on the site in 1999 by the Chiseldon Local History Group. But Kay says the relevant legal provisions were not obtained, and while the landowner at the time gave permission they did not gift the land to the parish.

Kay said: “It’s important to understand that this is not a war memorial.

"It’s a memorial to the army camp that was there.”

When Kay and her father purchased the land in 2009, the ownership of the memorial passed to her.

“I wrote to the parish council two years ago explaining the situation,” added Kay.

“I cannot allow people there, or be seen to allow people to visit the site because there is no third-party liability insurance.

“By putting a wreath on the site despite having been asked not to do so is an inflammatory action."

The farmer said she has offered numerous solutions to the parish council which have not been taken up.

Kay said: “The best thing would be if the council relocated it to council land at the end of Ladysmith Road. There’s a rectangle of land there that belongs to the council and then it would actually be at the old entrance to the camp. Also they would not have to have meetings on the road.”

Kay’s grandfather served at the camp as a medic during the First World War.

She added: “I don’t understand why they don’t use the actual war memorial on New Road.”

Chiseldon Parish Council's response

In a statement Chiseldon Parish Council said: “The council did not organise or attend any Remembrance Day gatherings this year at the memorial stone on Ladysmith Road.

“If one were to be held, it would be on the public highway over which the landowner has no control and in any event, liability for any gathering arranged by the council would fall under the council’s public liability policy.

“The council did lay a wreath, as honouring those that fell during battle to protect the freedoms and rights of our country should be considered a higher priority than any land dispute.

“The memorial at Ladysmith Road was placed by the Chiseldon Local History Group some years ago and it is not owned by or maintained by this council. The council remains committed to working with the Chiseldon Local History Group to secure a new location nearby with appropriate permissions.

“The council is disappointed that an agreement could not be reached with the existing landowner.”

The view of Graham Stobbs, the man behind the Veterans’ Hub Swindon

“I have heard both sides of the story and just feel there should be and is a simple solution by having the stone replaced somewhere else.

“However neither side seems to be able to agree, which is a shame.

“People should be allowed to remember the fallen and I feel this is all being blown out of proportion, but with strong feelings involved it needs to be handled delicately.

“All parties working together should be able to resolve the situation.”

The plaque reads:

“This stone is dedicated to the men and women of all nations who passed this way during those years, many of them brought here by the major conflicts of the 20th century.”