Peabody War Memorial Crushed Under Christmas Tree Replaced

PEABODY, MA — A symbol of a "What else could go wrong?" 2020 has been replaced in Peabody as part of its 2021 reopening from the yearlong coronavirus health crisis.

The World War II memorial, which was "damaged beyond repair" when the donated city Christmas tree crashed down upon it during a Nov. 30 wind storm, is back up honoring the veterans of Peabody.

Peabody Mayor Ted Bettencourt said the new memorial was installed on Friday and paid for primarily by insurance as well as contributions "from some wonderful Peabody residents."

The memorial was crushed late last fall when a storm that brought fierce winds and rain to the North Shore sent the Peabody City Hall Christmas tree tumbling upon it.

"We are very grateful that nobody was hurt during the City Hall mishap or anywhere else in Peabody during the storm," Bettencourt said at the time.

Bettencourt had said the intent was to have the new memorial up by spring.

"Those Peabody residents who gave their lives for our country during World War II deserve nothing less," Bettencourt said.

The Christmas tree and many of the ornaments destroyed in the crash were replaced in time to salvage a modicum of yuletide cheer.

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)