WAR CRIME CLAIMS ADDED TO RAF OFFICER'S STATUE

Sir Arthur Harris, wartime leader of the RAF'S Bomber Command, has been linked to war crimes in new information on the officer's statue in London.

His name appeared on the Topple the Racists website, a hit list of statues following Black Lives Matter protests. Harris's bombing campaign against Nazi Germany has been condemned as a war crime, English Heritage said in March last year.

His area bombing policy caused “massive loss of civilian life” during the Second World War, the charity said, adding the Royal Air Force commanding officer “was unequivocal, blunt and uncompromising” in the bombing campaign. New material on his statue also outlines his involvement in colonial conflicts in Pakistan and Iraq.

English Heritage said that, as part of its “retain and explain” policy, it added online information on Harris's reputation and the accusations of war crimes.