Tynwald’s armed forces champion says powers already exist to ensure war memorials on the island are protected.

Ten monuments have been put forward for registered status which would prevent them from being demolished.

This includes the National War Memorial in St John’s, and Ramsey War Memorial.

Speaker of the House Juan Watterson says he’s not sure why they have been nominated. He said: ’I think it’s important that war memorials are protected, but I think the powers are there to do it already.

’And certainly there is more emphasis on owners of war memorials to maintain them.

’There is a direct provision in the 2016 [War Memorials] act that required the owner of a war memorial to preserve it.

’If they owner is not known or cannot be identified and works are needing to be done, there is a power there for the Council of Ministers to vest war memorials in the local authority, and they will then have the powers to maintain them.

’Because this was something that I worked on very closely with the late [Normandy veteran] Hector Duff, who was very passionate on this subject as well, and was honoured to be the chairman of the War Memorials Preservation Committee for five years.

’This was a real tangible way of preserving those memorials which memorialise those men who laid down their lives for the freedom of this island, to make sure that they last into perpetuity.’

When it was pointed out that some people who do not agree with armed conflict may look at war memorials as glorifying war, Mr Watterson said: ’Well there’s not much glory in war, when you’ve lost relatives, when people have lost limbs. War is not a glorious business, freedom is a glorious business - and to memorialise those people who laid down their life for that cause I think is quite appropriate.’