Monument to Thomas George Ashford and Henry Berg

The monument takes the form of a high square plinth surmounted by a simple cross with fireman’s tools in high relief; these include a helmet, a belt, two nozzles and two axes with covered blades. The original inscription was carved straight onto the plinth and is now illegible. The current inscription, on a granite plaque mounted over the original, commemorates only the more senior of the two firemen: ‘Thomas George Ashford, Assistant Officer stationed at Southwark, died as a result of injuries sustained at the Alhambra Theatre Fire 1882’. The original inscription read as follows: ‘In memory of First Class Fireman Thomas George Ashford, aged 34 years, and Fourth Class Fireman Henry Berg, aged 24 years, of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade, who both died from the effects of the injuries they received at the burning of the Alhambra Theatre Leicester Square on the 7th December 1882. This memorial was erected by their Officers, comrades and friends to commemorate the loss of two good men, whose lives were sacrificed by their devotion to their duty.’