Lock-up thieves steal military memorabilia
AMILITARY historian is appealing for rare stolen war memorabilia to be returned after his selfstorage lock-up was raided by thieves.
David Harrop found his container at Easy Access Self Storage in Bredbury had been cracked open overnight on Sunday, July 31 – with several precious items taken.
They included a post box from the 1950s; several trays of Army cap badges from the First and Second World Wars and a framed picture of Winston Churchill, thought to date back to the 1940s.
A box of First World War casualty medals were also taken.
David, 67, who puts on military history displays across the region, including at Southern Cemetery, is still taking stock of his vast collection – and says other precious treasures may have been taken.
Police are understood to have combed the unit, and several others which were broken into, for clues.
David, a retired Royal Mail worker from Heaton Mersey, said: “The storage company have been fantastic, they’ve given me a new lock up and I couldn’t asked for more.
“It’s just such a shame. The Army cap badges had only recently been donated to me, so I’m not entirely sure how many there were or how rare some of them were.
“I used the picture of Churchill in my Battle of Britain displays. All the things taken are a big part of my commemorative displays. I was very shocked when I turned up on the Sunday morning. I was going to pack everything in boxes for the Second World War Yanks Weekend in Uppermill.
“I’ve lost a lot for that display because of the break-in. Everything taken was very precious.
“I’ve bombarded Facebook with pictures and details of what was taken in the hope someone will come across this stuff and get in touch.”
A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police confirmed the burglary had been have reported and that officers were investigating.
He added: “We received a report on Sunday of a burglary at Easy Access Self Storage. Locks on a number of containers were forced open before items inside were taken.”
Anyone with information can call police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Attempts were made to contact Easy Access Self Storage for comment but a manager was unavailable.