THE monumental effort to enshrine the story of the town's only Victoria Cross recipient has reached its final stages.

Trooper Fred Potts and his lifesaving endeavour will be immortalised in bronze outside Forbury Gardens as part of a memorial to the county's war heroes.

With much of the sculpture already finished the trust behind the project proudly released footage of the stonework, which will sit below the scene, being finished.

Angus Jones, owner of A F Jones stonemasons, said: "It is an honour to work on such a project and to be able to combine our traditional skills and craftsmanship with modern technology to create a lasting and fitting tribute that commemorates the bravery of Berkshire's soldiers.

"This project is also of great personal significance to our mason, Jonathan, whose Great Grandfather was killed aged 21 near Ypres during the second battle of Passchendaele the first of several relatives to die in battle."

Alongside a re-enactment of the brave actions that saw Potts awarded with the VC a roll of honour inscribed with 426 names will be officially unveiled on October 4.

Richard Bennet, chair of the Trooper Potts VC Trust, said: "All sort of names from all walks of life are on there and we hope that this will stimulate interest in people's families."

In August 1915 Potts dragged fellow soldier Arthur Andrews to safety while injured and under heavy fire on the Gallipoli peninsula.

Using nothing but a shovel as a makeshift stretcher to save his comrade the Reading born man sealed his place in local legend.

Assembling at the offices of sponsors Haslams Mr Bennet thanked those who had helped the dream become a reality since the group first started work in 2009.

He said: "This is the first of a sequence of events over the next two months which lead to the unveiling of the memorial on the morning of Sunday October 4 by Her Majesty's Lord Lieutenant for Berkshire, Mr James Puxley."