Verdun Oak

  • Verdun Oak tree in Forbury Gardens - Taken by Sue McArdle 24 Oct 2016

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  • Verdun Oak Plaque now displayed in Reading Museum - Taken by Sue McArdle 12 Feb 2020

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  • Plaque replacing original one now by tree - Taken by Sue McArdle 06 Jun 2020

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Reference WMO/263451

Address:

Forbury Gardens

Reading

RG1 3FD

England

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War Memorials Trust case: War Memorials Trust needs to avoid Contributors changing location/description details as we help to protect and conserve this war memorial through our casework. You can still add photographs, update condition and use the tabs below. If you believe any of the information you cannot edit is wrong or information is missing, please make a note of the reference number and include it in your email when you contact us.

Status: On original site
Type: Freestanding
Location: External
Setting: Within a garden/park/churchyard/enclosure/Marketplace
Description: Tree/s
Materials:
  • Flora and Fauna Tree(s)
  • Metal Iron
Lettering: Inscribed on a plaque
Conflicts:
  • First World War (1914-1918)
About the memorial: Oak tree with dedicatory plaque. Original cast iron plaque now located in Reading Museum, with a replacement sited by the tree. Following the removal of the plaque during re-landscaping of the gardens, Dave Kenny, Lead Volunteer Verifier, confirmed the location of the tree. The Verdun Trees are oak and horse chestnut trees planted in the United Kingdom in the aftermath of the First World War. Acorns and chestnuts were collected from trees on the battlefield at Verdun and sent to the UK to be planted as war memorials. A number of these trees are recorded on WMO, but more information is required to determine if these are war memorials; they have been left on the website as a point of interest but may be borderline cases.
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THIS OAK TREE CROWN FROM A SEED PICKED UP ON THE BATTLEFIELD OF VERDUN WAS PLANTED BY THE MAYORESS OF READING MRS STANLEY HAYWARD ON PEACE CELEBRATION DAY 19th JULY 1919 TO COMMEMORATE THE RESTORATION OF PEACE

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