Park signs will glorify war, says councillor

A park trustee has objected to a display about a decorated serviceman at a Bath beauty spot because it “glorifies war” and is against her religious belief. Bath and North East Somerset councillor Lin Patterson branded plans for an information board on Colonel William Buchanan Ritchie in Alice Park as a “vanity project”. One supporter of the plans said the Green Party’s councillor’s comments were upsetting and a committee voted through a £3,000 scheme which included the sign. The park was created in memory of Col Ritchie’s sister-inlaw, and the pond was dug as a memorial to him. Speaking at Monday’s Alice Park Trust subcommittee meeting, Cllr Patterson, pictured, said: “I really don’t think that having a sign with the history of the military man is necessary or helpful. “Maybe there’s another way the information could be used. Using more than £1,000 on a sign I don’t think is appropriate.” Cllr Patterson also objected to the sign being placed near the pond, which she said should be a place of “calm, peace and communing with nature”. “It’s really jarring and incongruous,” she added. “I think a lot of people would agree with that.” A plaque on the lily pond says it was made as a memorial to Col Ritchie, of the South Lancashire Regiment, who died on September 12, 1937. He was the brother-in-law of Alice Macvicar, in whose memory the park opened was in 1938. Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Patterson said the memorial plaque should be enough, adding: “I don’t think we should be glorifying war. I’m a Quaker, it’s part of my belief. “Col Ritchie was removed from active duty and one reason that’s been speculated is because he had post-traumatic stress disorder because war is terrible. The idea of killing people because of orders from above is abhorrent. “With the emergencies we are all facing about the survival of the human race, with climate change coming much faster than scientists ever predicted, we have to focus on learning how to share. Glorifying war is a backwards step.” Councillor Geoff Ward, who has worked for months on the proposals, said: “Col Ritchie was a hero. He served three times in the battlefields of France in the First World War. He was courageous and probably saved the lives of many. “The Alice Park Trust had a discussion of whether we should rake up the past and celebrate war. On Armistice Day for the past 100 years we have respected those who served and died. Col Ritchie didn’t fall but he was one of only 10,000 to be awarded the distinguished service order. This is the right thing to do.” Celebrating the heritage was a small but significant part of the development plan drawn up for the park last year, said Cllr Ward, who wants to boost visitor numbers to increase revenue that the trust can use. Cllr Rob Appleyard also supported improvements to the “woefully inadequate” signs in the park but said celebrating Col Ritchie should be up to the soldier’s family. Independent trust subcommittee member Graham Page said he too was a Quaker but did not agree that the signs would glorify war. The proposal was voted through.