A field of 140 white crosses - symbolising Waipawa servicemen lost in war - was targeted by vandals on Saturday night with about 25 of them ripped out and stolen.
The crosses were erected two weeks ago in preparation for Anzac Day, during a moving ceremony attended by Central Hawke's Bay Mayor Peter Butler, police officers, army cadets and returned servicemen.
Each hole was carefully dug on a blessed patch of earth and the crosses dropped into place by elderly WWII veterans. They were placed across from the Waipawa cenotaph.
"[Veterans] don't take too kindly to this sort of treatment. It's like their memories have been walked all over," Waipawa and districts RSA president and councillor Maitland Manning said.
The theft was a cruel act of carelessness which had shocked the community. "We are deeply concerned that people saw fit to take these crosses and we would dearly love to have them back. They are a dedication to those who lost their lives. It's just senseless, it's not like it's a saleable commodity."