A War Memorial that underwent extensive refurbishment in 2018 and again in 2025 has been deliberately damaged by vandals.

During the outbreak of the Great War in 1914, a group of volunteers from Govilon signed up to fight for King and Country. They left the only home they’d ever known together via a horse-drawn carriage which departed from the village Post Office.

Waved goodbye by proud family and friends, the local lads enlisted with "A" Company of the 3rd Battalion of the Monmouthshire Regiment.

They had no idea what sort of horrors awaited them on the other side of the English Channel, and hardly any of them came back.

They were killed in France, they were killed in Turkey, and at least four of them lost their lives during the bloody Battle of Ypres.

Basil Amyes, William Eastup, William Miller, Reginald Sheen, Brynley Evans, William Davies, Wilfred Jones, Godfrey Morgan, Thomas Smith, Harry Phillips, Percy Davies, George Matthews, Edward Morgan, and Mary Prosser are all names that are immortalised in stone in the village of Govilon. Many of the fallen have no known grave, but they do have a memorial.

And now that memorial has been vandalised and the memory of those it commemorates disrespected.

The Govilon volunteers
The Govilon volunteers (Abergavenny Chronicle )

A spokesperson for Llanfoist Fair Community Council explained that the deliberate damage to Govilon’s War Memorial was both “deeply disappointing” and “upsetting.”

They added, “The memorial is a place of remembrance, respect and reflection, dedicated to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. It belongs to the whole community and holds great historical and emotional significance.

“The deliberate damage to the memorial, with the most recent incident including the removal of one of its coping stones, is completely unacceptable and shows a shocking lack of respect for the men and women we remember there.

“This is not simply damage to a stone structure; it is damage to an important part of our village's heritage and a place that should be treated with dignity and care.

“Our War Memorial deserves to be protected, respected and preserved for future generations.”

Anyone with any information regarding the vandalism should contact Llanfoist Fawr Community Council.