The Rifles Berkshire and Wiltshire Museum in Salisbury will re-open on Monday 16 February 2026. The final stages of the refurbishment are underway and in early January the museum staff will start filling the display cabinets with the artefacts. The work on bringing the collection up to date and displaying it in an interesting and imaginative way has been a long process, one that started over three years ago. 

What we have ended up with is a dynamic and modern approach to telling all the stories of the soldiers over the past two and a half centuries bringing the displays up to date, with today’s history still taking place.  You are all invited to come along and view your museum once we are open, and we look forward to seeing you.

We are still on the look out for volunteers to come and assist us with routine opening hours (Monday to Saturday) particularly for front desk duties, but also at each of the summer weekend events planned for 2026.  Please contact Ross Keel (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) if you want to know more details. By volunteering for a couple of hours a week or once a month, your service will be very much appreciated.
The Wardrobe website will re-emerge in a new format in the early new year, so check this out for details of our events and dates, which will also be published on the Association website.

A formal opening ceremony will occur sometime at the end of April or early May and plenty of notice will be given once the date is finalised.  We hope that many of you will attend, and this event will take place on a Saturday.  This will also be a great opportunity to catch up with friends and comrades.  Registration for attendance will be by ticket – again registration will be on the Association website.

We wish all our readers a Happy Christmas and prosperous New Year.

Major Clyde Aylin, who served with 1st Battalion The Royal Berkshire Regiment in Cyprus during 1956 - 59, attended the Cyprus Veterans Memorial Service at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire on 24 August.  He writes that "it was held to remember the 371 soldiers who died in this extraordinary war on two fronts - like elsewhere.  On the one hand the Eoka Ennosis campaign by the Greek Cypriots and on the other hand keeping the Greek and Turkish Cypriots from killing one another.  We additionally took part in riot control in Nicosia."

"Air Vice Marshall Sir Michael  Graydon made an excellent speech.  I was disappointed to be the only Royal Berkshire soldier attending along with one soldier fromthe Wiltshire Regiment who reminisced about his service in Kyrenia Castle.  The creation of the Arboretum is an amazing achievement and a visit is highly recommended.  Thanks largely to the efforts of the Air Vice Marshall, the RAF flew a four ton chunk of Troodos rock to the UK and had it engraved with all the units which had served in the campaign."

While leading a patrol as a young officer in October 1956, to underpin the Turkish police stations in Troodos in a Land-rover and Bedford truck, Major Aylin's patrol was ambushed by two massive bombs built in to the vertical cliff face beside the road, so as to blow our heads off as they drove by.  The bombs were detonated by three Greek Cypriots with a car battery.  The patrol all suffered flesh wounds, primarily from the tumultuous amount of rocks which fell on their heads.  Having ensured that field dressings were applied to the injured, Major Aylin set off along the road armed with a sten gun and revolver.  As an Army athlete who ran sub two minute half miles at the time he fully expected to intercept the terrorists.  The cliff was too steep to climb but he came to a gully and ran up it.  As he emerged on top of the plateau, there in front were the three assailants running away with the last man carrying the battery.  He fired a complete magazine from his sten gun and the trio went down.  Not sure if they were armed, he skirted round a knoll to his flank and lost sight of them.  Shortly afterwards an RAF helicopter with a tracker dog and his Turkish handler landed but, in the scorching dry mid October weather, the dog could not pick up the scent.  Apart from cuts to his head, Major Aylin recalls that his ears rang for days and he is now designated as profoundly deaf.

The Association has been informed of the death on 21 March 2025 in hospital in Bath of Montague John Thomas Dermott, known as Monty, aged 90 years.  Our records show Mr Dermott as being born in 1932 but his family's account places his birth date in 1935.  

He joined the Army at The Infantry Junior Leaders Battalion in Plumer Barracks, Plymouth and served with 4th Battalion The Wiltshire Regiment before transferring to 1st Battalion The Royal Berkshire Regiment.  

In the 1950s he served with 1 R. Berks in both Cyprus and the Canal Zone during the 1956 Suez operation.  Mr Dermott leaves his widow, Brenda, grandchildren Stacey and Scott and 4 great grandchildren.  His daughter Sandra pre-deceased him.