The Bradfield War Memorial was erected by public subscription in 1922 and unveiled on 11 June 1922 by Major Gen Dickson, Colonel of the Royal Berkshire Regiment. The designer, George Blackall Simonds was an internationally noted sculptor of the late C19th (9) and a notable local figure through his connection with and management of the H & G Simonds Brewery in Reading, a notable regional brewery.
It forms the focus of the village’s Remembrance Day commemorations.
Constructed of concrete with York stone inserts. It comprises a cross of sacrifice on a square tapered die, which in turn sits on a cubic base. Tablets on each face of the base contain the inscription and names of those fallen in World War I.
A replica sword is affixed to the front face of the cross. The cross and sword design is very reminiscent of the Cross of Sacrifice designed by Sir Reginald Blomfeld for the Imperial War Graves Commission.
A fifth stone panel was inserted in the base of the memorial to carry the names of the fallen from World War II.
The tablets are of a particularly clear design the lettering being inscribed and then filled with paint. The tablet on the dominant south face holds the names of those who died serving with the Royal Navy and Royal Berkshire Regiment with fine inscribed and painted badges of these units.
The information given for each casualty is unusually complete: forenames, unit, date and place of death all being included.
The memorial is mentioned in the second edition of Pevsner’s ‘The Buildings of Berkshire’.
Location
Open the location with: Google Maps | Bing Maps | OpenStreetMap