From the Daily Telegraph
War has broken out in Cornwall - and it's all Hitler's fault (again). Hostilities began when officials at Restormel Borough Council decided that a stretch of pathway running through parkland in Megavissey, 16 miles from Newquay, should be signposted according to the name it has held among locals since the 1930s - Hitlers Walk. Consequently, signs to that effect were erected. Some residents panicked, fearing that this attempt to retain this historic soubriquet might deter holidaymakers from taking summer homes in the area, and councillors were harangued for not choosing a "more positive" name.
The signs were promptly whisked away, and the path was to revert to its official title, Cliff Park - only for hardier locals to insist that they be reinstated, declaring that the objections were "ridiculous".
The path was apparently named after one Wright Harris, a despotic councillor who donated the land to the greater good in the 1930s. Traditionalists have argued that a name - unfortunate or not - is still a name, and should not be altered for the sake of political correctness. More delicate souls, however, are anxious that visitors will hesitate to flock to an area named after history's most brutal fascist.
In the latest peace move, the council is to hold a ballot on what Hitlers Walk will be called in future. Meanwhile, Megavissey clearly remains a dangerous place to live. Other, less controversial signs warn: "Please do not feed the seagulls! They can be vicious."
The signs were promptly whisked away, and the path was to revert to its official title, Cliff Park - only for hardier locals to insist that they be reinstated, declaring that the objections were "ridiculous".
The path was apparently named after one Wright Harris, a despotic councillor who donated the land to the greater good in the 1930s. Traditionalists have argued that a name - unfortunate or not - is still a name, and should not be altered for the sake of political correctness. More delicate souls, however, are anxious that visitors will hesitate to flock to an area named after history's most brutal fascist.
In the latest peace move, the council is to hold a ballot on what Hitlers Walk will be called in future. Meanwhile, Megavissey clearly remains a dangerous place to live. Other, less controversial signs warn: "Please do not feed the seagulls! They can be vicious."
