Bar loses ‘Pub of the Year’ award after complaint about Nazi armband that was actually WWII trophy
A popular watering hole in England lost its “Pub of the Year” award after someone complained about a Nazi armband on display — although the item had been brought back by Allied soldiers celebrating victory in World War II, the owner said.
The Hole in the Wall in Bodmin had been named the best pub in the county by CAMRA Kernow, a local nonprofit, in part because of its peculiar ambience, according to Cornwall Live.
But the local joint, whose walls are lined with a stuffed lion, antique guns and a photo of Winston Churchill, lost the award after a complaint about the swastika armband, the outlet said.
Steve Hall, the owner, said the whole thing has been taken out of context.
“Bodmin was a garrison town,” Hall told the outlet.
“These soldiers came back from the war with spoils of war memorabilia,” he continued, referencing the returning veterans from the Duke of Cornwall’s Regiment.
“It was not to hero-worship Hitler or the Nazis, but to celebrate the victory over fascism and to remember their comrades who died fighting against evil,” he said.
“You can’t whitewash history.”
The ordeal has been “really upsetting” for both him and his staff, Hall added.
“It has really tarnished my image when that piece of military memorabilia has been in the pub since it opened 80 years ago,” he said.
“There are a lot of curios in the pub. There’s a lot of stuff on display.”
“It’s not my memorabilia,” he continued.
“It belongs to the pub. It’s been here for longer than I have … It’s sad for Bodmin. We have a lovely town with a lot of good stuff happening here. But it has gone through some dark times in the last year.”
“To win Pub of the Year would have been a bit of good news, not just for us, but for the whole town.”
Hall, who has worked the bar for 20 years and employs more than 100 people, quickly removed the item from the glass case in which it was displayed, the outlet said.
But he added that he’s not sure the person who complained about the piece has ever actually set foot in the bar.
The complaint came from resident Colin Curless, who emailed CornwallLive to say that the bar’s award was hypocritical.
“I actually spoke with the staff, and they have a swastika armband on show in the pub,” Curless said.
“I have informed CAMRA as having a swastika armband on show in your pub is not a good advert for Cornwall, let alone a stuffed lion.”
CAMBRA Kernow said the decision to strip the award away from the bar was made by the national organization.
And as a result, no bar will be given the title this year.
“On this occasion, CAMRA volunteers did not spot the item at the point of judging,” a spokesperson said told the outlet.
“However, national policy states no pub or club should be considered for an award if it displays signs or objects that could be offensive to consumers due to their discriminatory nature.”
