Lest we disrespect: Adelaide’s National War Memorial is regularly being trashed at night by anti-social drunks

It is our city’s most important place of sombre reflection but troublemakers are regularly desecrating the National War Memorial on North Terrace — see the disgraceful pictures.

Booze, rubbish, clothes and blankets left strewn over the World War II memorial.

Disrespectful troublemakers are trashing Adelaide’s National War Memorial — and even urinating on the names of fallen soldiers — prompting the RSL to call for those responsible to be fined and made to clean up their mess.

Groups of people are frequently gathering at the North Terrace monument, often illegally drinking alcohol in the dry zone, and then leaving it resembling the aftermath of a messy house party rather than a place to honour those who served in World War I.

The same contempt has been shown to other shrines at the site as well, including the World War II honour roll.

The Advertiser today reveals shocking photographs of the memorial taken over the past week.

Images from last Wednesday show empty wine casks and bottles of alcohol, as well as blankets and other rubbish, strewn across the base of the monument.

Groups of people are regularly trashing the city's National War Memorial, as these pictures reveal.

More photos from Saturday evening show a similar scene — and the destruction of a flower bed at the site.

Police were called to the monument about 6.25pm on Saturday after a fight broke out between a group of people known to each other.

A 47-year-old Maylands man allegedly used a crutch to assault another man during the incident. The victim sustained minor injuries and was treated at the Royal Adelaide Hospital while the suspect was charged with aggravated assault causing harm.

A witness, who asked to remain anonymous, said anti-social behaviour was rife at the memorial.

He said a group of people often “congregates around the War Memorial and each day trashes the hell out of it”.

“I have seen them urinating on the names at the World War II memorial,” he said.

“I have seen them bathe and wash clothes in the Fountain of Compassion at the rear.”

Rubbish litters the area around the National War Memorial.

A flower bed at the memorial was torn apart.

RSL SA acting state president Cheryl Cates said the organisation “absolutely deplores these actions”.

“The RSL does not think it is acceptable at all,” she said.

“And those who are carrying out these actions should stop and think that one of the names on the memorial could be one of their ancestors, so how do they feel about leaving it a mess and urinating on them?”

Ms Cates said culprits “should be brought to task over this and given community service to scrub and clean it up as well as fined”.

An SA Police spokesman said police “do not condone littering around the War Memorial”.

“Like anyone in the community, police would expect people do the right thing and dispose of their litter appropriately,” he said.

“Police will intervene where appropriate and necessary but this is about homelessness and a raft of ongoing social issues which involve a number of other government and non-government agencies.”

The spokesman also said police would “continue to monitor the area for any public order offences”.

The Department for Environment and Water took over responsibility for the memorial on January 1 this year, while the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure oversees the cleaning of it.

Infrastructure Minister Stephan Knoll was appalled at the behaviour of those responsible for the desecration of the memorial.

“This is an extremely disrespectful act and an insult to the memory of our fallen servicemen and women,” he said.

“The State Government ensures that the memorial is monitored and cleaned every morning.”