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A war memorial in Melbourne's north has been scrawled with red graffiti less than a day before the most solemn day on the calendar -- Anzac Day. The damage to the memorial at Warrandyte was discovered on Monday morning. It was reported to local media, with photographs showing red paint daubed across the sandstone. The words "war is murder" were written on the base, while two encircled As -- a symbol of the anarchist movement -- were daubed directly on plaques in memory of local men who served in World War I and World War II.

Late #Rumourfile - the war memorial in Warrandyte has been vandalised overnight, on the eve of Anzac Day. pic.twitter.com/EgEnQLTTy2 — 3AW Breakfast (@RossAndJohn) April 23, 2017

Victoria Police told The Huffington Post Australia on Monday morning that they had not actually received reports of the vandalism, and had only heard of it via media reports. A police spokeswoman said officers were being dispatched to the area to investigate. We've attempted to contact the Warrandyte RSL for comment, but president Henk Van Der Helm told Fairfax Media of his disappointment at the damage, less than 24 hours from Anzac Day when a service will be held at the memorial. The RSL will work to clean the site in time.

#BREAKING: A war memorial has had graffiti scrawled across it in the lead up to Anzac Day. #9Newspic.twitter.com/oRbeQU1R56 — Nine News Melbourne (@9NewsMelb) April 23, 2017

"I'm utterly disgusted, particularly this time of year. You come to accept this type of moronic behaviour," Van Der Helm told Fairfax. On Twitter, the Australian Defence Association called those responsible "scum".

War memorial vandals shld get seriously punished for their actions. But the freedom of scum to hold such views is why we have to fight wars. https://t.co/jOIFT8QTC7 — Aust Defence Assn (@austdef) April 23, 2017