The Potts Story
The Project
Make a Donation
The Memorial
The Berkshire Yeomanry
The Victoria Cross
The Great War
Reading
Our Supporters and Sponsors
THE MEMORIAL
The Design briefOur artist - Tom Murphy
The design
The Roll of Honour
...Boer War
...WW1 Yeomanry
...WW1 other
...WW2
Construction
The Unveiling
The Site
Contact us
NEWS
P6800 updated 3/10/2015
.
We would like to take this opportunity to express our grateful thanks to all those who have helped bring our project to a successful conclusion
Top of the list has to be our sculptor Tom Murphy of Liverpool. His inspired design has motivated us all.
Our major sponsors since 2013 have been Haslams Estate Agents of Reading. Steve Woodward (Managing Director) and Tim Harding (Operations Director) have provided business advice and contacts which have been invaluable.
Sue Roberts Associates helped to make the two balls such a success.
But; most of all to Chris Tarrant OBE who, through his efforts, managed to mesmerise so many people into making large donations so helping us to raise such a large proportion of the funds.
There are so many people who have contributed to the success of the Project. Some have given money, either personally or through their company, others have been involved in many different ways: giving advice; helping out at events; making contacts; building the memorial etc etc. We are most grateful to all of them for their dedication and support of our Project. There will be many whose names have been omitted in the lists below and we greatly regret any omissions and offer our apologies.:
First: the names to be enscribed on the plinth
Bob & Norah Andrews
Philip and Robin Andrews
Berkshire Yeomanry
Bewley Homes
Richard Burgess & family
Country Estates
Crest Nicholson Regeneration
David Wilson Homes
ESP Colour, Swindon
Miss Gwen Gardiner OBE
Genting Casinos, Reading
Haslams Estate Agents
The Jacobs family
Network Rail
Pitmans LLP
Pulleyn Transport
Second: Grant Bodies
Berkshire Masonic Charities
The Berkshire Community Foundation
The Earley Charity
Englefield Charitable Trust
Greenham Common Trust
The Stevenson Trust
Third: The sponsors of names on the Yeomanry Memorial
Mrs Pauline Andrews
Mrs Alison Bennett
Richard Bennett
Gavin Bowyer
Francis Connolley
John Dearing
Colin Gear
Miss India Harrison
Kendrick View Dental Practice
Mrs Clare Killen
David & Jamie Niven
Mrs Joy Pibworth
Ms Rachel Piercey
Mrs Piercey
Brenda Tait
Gianluci Cau Tait
Reading School
Stacy Williams
Supporters Club of Reading
Lt Col Andrew Willis
Dr Jeanette Willis
Fourth: Members of the committee
Anne Ames (granddaughter of Fred Potts)
Chris Andrews (grandson of Trooper Andrews)
Michael Aris CBE DL (Brigadier and Deputy Lord Lieutenant)
Richard Bennett (Chairman of the Trust)
David Card
John Chapman (Chairman of the Design and Implementation Committee)
Jon Cooksey (Military Historian and Editor of Stand To)
Dr Richard Duckett (Lecturer at Reading College)
Andrew French (Assistant Curator of Berkshire Yeomanry Museum)
Alan Overton (Military Historian)
Fred Pugh (former Mayor of Reading)
Ian Savage
Brenda Tait (Hon Treasurer)
Tony Verey (Brigadier and Colonel 94 Signal Squadron Berkshire Yeomanry and Curator of the Berkshire Yeomanry Museum)
Fifth: Local people and organisations who have been active in supporting us
Our Patrons
The Hon Mrs Bayliss CVO JP(former Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire)
Chris Tarrant OBE
Michael Naxton (curator of Lord Ashworth's VC collection)
Other Supporters
Richard Benyon (MP for Newbury)
Sir John Madejski and the team at Madejski Stadium
Martin Salter (former MP for Reading West)
Alok Sharma (MP for Reading West)
Rob Wilson (MP for Reading East)
Sir Phillip Wroughton KCVO JP DL (former Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire)
Officers and Members of Reading Borough Council
Cllr Tony Page (Deputy Leader of Council)
We have been supported by many departments, including: Planning, Legal, Highways, Parks & Gardens, Secretariat, PUblic Relations and Communications.
We would particularly like to mention Dr Carolyn Jenkins, Head of Parks and Gardens) who has worked with us throught the project and also Debi Daniels
Students and Lecturers at Reading College
Paul Emberlin
Jack Fradley
Amber Furmage
Tim Jones
Alicia Treadwell
Stacy Williams
The Media
BBC Radio Berkshire and Graham McKechnie who started the journey
BBC South TV
Berkshire Life
Britain at war Magazine
Get Reading
Meridian TV
Reading Chronicle
Organisations who have donated
Abbey School
Berkeley Homes
C R Body Charitable Trust
Cambrai Computing
Crowe Clarke & Whitehill
Design Direction
F & N Invoice Brokers
Fentons
Fynecast, Reading
Gallipoli Association
Gravity Personnel
Hicks
Nirvana Spa
Phoenix Security
RAF Air Command Human Resources Team
Reading District Oddfellows
Reading Minster (share of collection)
Robert Rigby Architects
Thomas Homes
Western Front Association
Woodcote Amateur Dramatic Society
Workmates & Daniel Owen
Organisations who have assisted
The Allied Arms
Berkshire Local History Association
Forbury Hotel
Friends of Reading Museum
The Gallipoli & Dardanelles International Association
Heroes at Highclere
Hilton Hotel
IWM WW1 Centenary Project
The Lieutenancy of the Royal County of Berkshire
The Mayor of Reading
Museum of English Rural Life
Reading Crown Court
Reading Museum
Reading School
The Royal Berkshire Show
The Turkish Embassy
University of Reading
West Berkshire Brewery
The Woodley Concert Band
Other individual donations
Vickie Abel
Mike & Sue Adkin
Hazel Alexander
James Anderson
R Barnett
Dr M Barr
Roy Batty
Michael Beard
Ted Bell
R F & A R Binham
D A & A E Black
Trevor Bottomley
David Brasher
Joyce Briscoe
Richard Burgens
W P G Burgess
Andrew Butler
Dennis Butts
P M Carter
Stephen Cavanagh
Kathleen Judith Chapman
David Chilton
M D E Chipman
Elaine Collis
Arthur Cowson
Jul;ie A Cox
J I & E M Crisp
Janet Crum-Ewing
Fred Davidson
David Downs
P D & M A Duggan
Lynette Edwell
Christopher Fagan
Robert Faulkner
Joe Feeney
Annis Flew
Gerald Gallagher
David Gibbons
F M Goddard
D P Goodwin
Bill Gornall-King
Sir Brian Goswell
Barry Graham
Susan Harrington
Frank Hooley
Henry Hopkins
Beryl Hyett
Dr Roger Jago
Barry Jennings
Pauline Jorgsen
R Kellman
Penelope Kemp
Sonia King
Neil Lambourne
Neal Mackenzie
Betty Martin
Douglas Massey
Jean Milbourn
P D & M A Milledge
Brian Morley
A V & R G Nagle
John Nixon
Karen Noble
H Nowacka
R Oke
Robert O'Toole
Alan Overon
R E Palmer
Muriel Parsons
Mark Paine
G Pearce
Jack Penny
Kelvin Petty
Eileen Phillips
Clare Platts
George Redgrave
Bernard Redway
Gary Reynolds
Dr Neill & Mrs Riddell
Jean Rose
Susannah Rose DL
Barbara Rigby
Robert W Russell
A E Sandford
Jenny Savage
Dick Sawdon Smith
John Sherrard
David Simonds
M H & C J Sleight
George Sparat
David Svenson
Cyril Tait
Emma & Mark Tait
Malcolm Taylor
Martin Thorp
Peter Tidey
Jenny Tomblin
H E Twiddle
Tim Warren
H W Watson
David West
Norman West
Gerry Westall
Joyce Westaway
H E Woodley
Finally: the people who worked on the Project and made it all happen
Anne-Marie Carroll a Reading designer who developed the concept and details for the information boards
Francis Construction of Reading who built the two plinths
Morris Singer Foundry of Lasham who cast and finished off the statue
A F Jones, Stonemasons of Reading who made the stone cladding, with particular mention of Jonathan Royfield who carved the VC & Yeomanry Badges
Photocast Products of Liverpool who produced and installedthe Yeomanry Roll of Honour
Robert Rigby Architects of Reading who produced the architects drawings and obtained engineering advice for the foundations.
Third Lens Films of Burghfield who have filmed each stage of production.
A J Wells of the Isle of Wight who produced the information boards about the Victoria Cross, The Berkshire Yeomanry and Gallipoli
Back to top »