The Royal Berkshire Regiment Cenotaph

MATERIALS: Portland stone.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial stands on a rectangular stone platform of three steps, in a lawned area in Brock Barracks. At the top is a plain tomb chest with a moulded cover, on which stands a stone urn raised on four pillars. The tomb stands on a three-staged base, which in turn stands on a shaft, set back towards its upper section. Beneath is the two-stage base, with cyma recta moulding to the foot of the shaft.

The cenotaph is sparsely enriched. On either end, at the upper sides of the shaft, are carved stone bosses with laurels suspended by stone fillets. Two large painted stone flags with laurel wreaths encircling the top of each flagpole and laurel swags are mounted to each side of the memorial. On the west side, the King’s Colour and on the east, the Regimental Colour. A niche within the north side of the memorial contains the names of the fallen.

The inscriptions on the north side of the memorial read (above the wreath) MCMXIV/ +/ MCMXVIII and (below the wreath) TO THE/ MEMORY OF/ OFFICERS/ WARRANT OFFICERS/ NON-COMMISSIONED/ OFFICERS AND MEN/ OF THE/ ROYAL BERKSHIRE/ REGIMENT.

Those on the south side (below the wreath) read THIS MEMORIAL/ WAS ERECTED BY/ PAST AND PRESENT OFFICERS/ AND MEN OF/ THE ROYAL BERKSHIRE REGIMENT/ AND THEIR RELATIVES/ IN MEMORY OF/ THE 353 OFFICERS AND/ 6375 OTHER RANKS OF/ THE REGIMENT/ WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1918/ RE-DEDICATED/ TO THE MEMORY OF/ THE 93 OFFICERS AND/ 974 OTHER RANKS OF/ THE REGIMENT/ WHO FELL IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR/ 1939 – 1945.

This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Online. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 10 January 2017.