Hull trawlermen's memorial graffiti attack

The bethel boards, named after a seamen's religious organisation, were first displayed in 2017

Graffiti has been sprayed over a memorial board remembering trawlermen from Hull who were lost at sea.

The board, one of four at the junction of Boulevard and Hessle Road, lists some of the 6,000 trawlermen who lost their lives at sea.

Brian W Lavery, historian and author, said: "This is an awful thing to happen, it's obvious what those boards represent."

It is the second act of vandalism on the boards in two weeks.

Mr Lavery, who is the author of several books on Hull's trawlermen, said: "The community worked had at their own expense to put the boards up.

"It shows disrespect to the men and to the community who paid tribute to the same men."

The board has now been cleaned and the graffiti scrubbed off it.

It is estimated more than 6,000 trawlermen from Hull alone perished between 1835 and 1980

Posting on the Hull Trawler Group on Facebook, Elaine Griffin said: "Bet they are not from a fishing family no respect, if they only knew what families went through."

The graffiti attack comes only days after hundreds attended the 30th annual Lost Trawlermen's Day service at St Andrews quay in the city.

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Ron Wilkinson, of the STAND fishing heritage group, said at that service: "It's important that children realise that their grandfathers and great-grandfathers were involved in what was once the biggest deep sea fishing fleet in the world."

The Bomber Command Memorial in London was also vandalised recently by having white paint thrown over it.