Vandals steal Falkirk village Ukrainian flag just hours ahead of D-Day ceremony

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings went ahead in the Falkirk village of Bonnybridge despite vandals cutting the flagpole rope that was to be used in the event.

Falkirk Council 's Baillie Billy Buchanan says he was furious to discover just before the ceremony at Bonnybridge's Memorial Gardens that the rope appeared to have been cut deliberately.

The ceremony on June 6 - hosted by the Ancre Somme Association Scotland - included a special commemorative flag being raised to mark the occasion and a wreath being laid. Read more: New Falkirk area distillery gets the green light for 'Mary Queen of Scotch' malt A Ukrainian flag has been flown every day in the gardens by Baillie Buchanan since the Russian invasion to show his support for the country and its people.And while he had noticed it was missing, he thought it had just blown away.Baillie Buchanan said: "A few weeks ago I noticed the flag was gone but as the weather was really windy at the time I just thought it had blown off."However, when I went down to the memorial gardens to set up for the D-Day event - which included raising the D-Day flag - I found to my anger that the flagpole rope had been cut down and obviously they got the flag."Baillie Buchanan said it was only thanks to the "ingenuity" of George Lees that the full ceremony was able to go ahead.Pupils from Denny HIgh School and St Mungo's High School helped to raise the special flag as the community paid their respects to those who took part in the Normandy landings on June 6, 1944.The Bonnybridge event, at 10 am, was one of two local events that Baillie Buchanan, who is also president of the Ancre Somme Association Scotland, attended on Thursday.He thanked all those who took part in