Memorial details

Memorial type
Board / Plaque / Tablet
District
Reading
Town
Reading
County
Berkshire
Country
England
Commemoration
First World War (1914-1918)
Maker
Mr S. Slingsby Stallwood F.S.A. of Reading (Designer)
WILLIAM MORRIS & CO (Manufacturer)
Ceremony
  • Unveiled
    Date: 23 July 1921
    Attended by: Mr J.H. Benyon (Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire) performed the unveiling
  • Dedicated
    Date: 23 July 1921
    Attended by: Archdeacon Ducat performed the dedication
  • Show More (1)
Lost
Not lost
WM Reference
88760

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Current location

St Edward's Chapel
Reading Minster of St Mary the Virgin
St Mary's Butts
Spring Gardens
Reading
Reading
Berkshire
RG1 2LQ
England

OS Grid Ref: SU 71394 73328
Denomination: Church of England

View location on Google Maps
Previous locations
  • New Shire Hall
    Shinfield Park
    Reading
    Reading
    Berkshire
    RG2 9FW
    England

    OS Grid Ref: SU 72851 68971
    Denomination: Undefined
  • Assize Courts Hall
    26
    Shire Hall (now the site of the Roseate Hotel)
    The Forbury
    Reading
    Reading
    Berkshire
    RG1 3EJ
    England

    OS Grid Ref: SU 71838 73532
    Denomination: Undefined
  • Show More (1)
Description
Large nowy-headed gilding-metal plaque, with engraved border of oak leaves (an emblem of Berkshire), fixed to a wooden backboard. The plaque has the Berkshire County crest at top-centre, flanked by the dates 1914 1919. The inscription beneath is in incised black lettering. (See our reference 55186 re the combined WW1/WW2 Berkshire Constabulary memorial, on which the same 12 WW1 casualties are named).
Inscription
1914 1919/ TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN MEMORY OF THOSE MEMBERS OF/ THE BERKSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL STAFF/ AND THE BERKSHIRE CONSTABULARY/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR COUNTRY/ IN THE GREAT WAR/ COUNTY COUNCIL STAFF/ (NAMES)/ BERKSHIRE CONSTABULARY/ (NAMES)/ COUNTY COUNCIL HIGHWAYS DEPARTMENT/ (NAMES)
Inscription legible?
yes
Names on memorial
Attride, Raymond George
Bedford, George Frederick
Bennett, George William
Brown, Frank Henry
Cox, Frederick
Cox, Robert
Cox, William Ernest
Davis, Alfred Frederick William
Eales, George Anton
Goodchild, Charles
See details for all 22 names
Commemorations
  • First World War (1914-1918)
    Total names on memorial: 22
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 22
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: Rank, forenames, surname, military unit, civilian occupation
    Order of information: Grouped by former Council Department, then alphabetically by surname
Components
  • Plaque
    Measurements: height 1800mm, width 1050mm
    Materials: Brass
  • Backboard
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Wood - Oak
Listing information
Condition
Costs

Comments: The £250 cost of the memorial was raised by donations. The total sum raised for the memorial fund was actually £750. The balance of £500 was donated to the Provincial Police Orphanage at Redhill, to endow a Berkshire Police cot. (That Orphanage had lately taken in four orphan children from the Police force).
Memorial: £250

Trust fund/Scholarship
No
Purpose: Unknown or N/A
Responsibility
Church of England
Reference
  • Reading Observer 16/7/1921 (page 1) announced the forthcoming unveiling service due to be held in the hall of the Assize Court. The report mentioned that the cost of the memorial was about £250, and that the balance of £500 that had been raised for the memorial fund was being donated to the Provincial Police Orphanage at Redhill, to endow a cot. ("The Orphanage has lately taken in four orphan children from the police force").
  • The Berkshire Archaeological Society website re war memorials in the Royal County of Berkshire (www.berkswm.org/BWM2000.html ), has a record of the memorial (their reference WM5229) and lists its past locations.
  • Reading Observer 30/7/1921 (page 3): a very detailed report was printed re the unveiling service that had been held in the hall of the Assize Court the previous Saturday. Among the many details included were the names of the memorial's designer and manufacturer etc.

This record comprises all information held by IWM’s War Memorials Register for this memorial. Where we hold a names list for the memorial, this information will be displayed on the memorial record. Please check back as we are adding more names to the database.

This information is made available under a Creative Commons BY-NC licence.

This means you may reuse it for non-commercial purposes only and must attribute it to us using the following statement:

© WMR-88760

For queries, please contact [email protected].