Light Up With Pride
Reading Needs Pride in it’s Lion
A few weeks ago I had a friend coming to Reading and we decided to stay at The Forbury Hotel…but a review of that is not the content of this post, it is of the lack of prominence of the Maiwand Lion that stands so proudly in Forbury Gardens.
The gardens now look fabulous after all the lottery funded work carried out, but I have one gripe and it’s a big one.
The Maiwand Lion is synonymous with Reading; it is the masthead of many businesses in the town including the Reading Post as well as Reading Football Club having a lion as its mascot.
Now, the friend I had visiting was interested in seeing the monument having done two tours of Afghanistan recently and for those of you not in the know the Maiwand Lion was erected to honour the memory of the servicemen whose lives were lost from the 66th Berkshire Regiment, during the Battle of Maiwand . They were praised for their heroism which was a truly moving and powerful example of the loyalty, bravery and camaraderie of the British armed forces then and exemplified now.
Of the battle an Afghani officer described their end.
“These men charged from the shelter of a garden and died with their faces to the enemy, fighting to the death. So fierce was their charge, and so brave their actions, no Afghan dared to approach to cut them down. So, standing in the open, back to back, firing steadily, every shot counting, surrounded by thousands, these British soldiers died. It was not until the last man was shot down that the Afghans dared to advance on them. The behaviour of those last eleven was the wonder of all who saw it”.
The inscription on the plinth reads as follows:
This monument records the names and commemorates the valour and devotion of XI (11) officers and CCCXVIII (318) non-commissioned officers and men of the LXVI (66th) Berkshire Regiment who gave their lives for their country at Girishk Maiwand and Kandahar and during the Afghan Campaign MDCCCLXXIX (1879) – MDCCCLXXX (1880).
“History does not afford any grander or finer instance of gallantry and devotion to Queen and country than that displayed by the LXVI Regiment at the Battle of Maiwand on the XXVII (27th) July MDCCCLXXX (1880).”
Despatch of General Primrose.
The reason for my gripe is that by the time my friend had arrived in Reading and we had enjoyed a well deserved drink, we walked up towards Forbury Gardens only to find them closed, ok, it was about 8.30pm, but still very disappointed we couldn’t walk through the gardens. The most disappointing thing is that my friend could not even see the vast monument that is the Maiwand Lion. Why, oh, why, is it not lit up?
Why was the lighting of the Maiwand Lion not part of the regeneration of the gardens through the lottery funding? I am actually quite offended that a monument as synonymous as this along with the attached historical value of the sculpture to the town has not been allowed to stand proudly and be admired day or night.
I for one would like to see this monument lit up proudly at night, there must be some money in RBC’s coffers?
“I am actually quite offended that a monument as synonymous as this along with the attached historical value of the sculpture to the town has not been allowed to stand proudly and be admired day or night.”
Agreed, it’d look fantastic at night. Historical merit aside, there’s also the fact that it’s one of the world’s largest cast iron statues – which is something worth shouting about.