A rock-faced plinth surmounted by a figure of soldier with rifle. The work was unveiled by Earl Roberts in 1905 as a memorial to the South African War. The infantryman is in the battledress worn in South Africa: pith helmet, desert jacket, and breeches bound with puttees from below the knee. He looks ahead, ‘alert and manly’. He is advancing and in the process of reloading. The bolt of his rifle has been drawn and a bullet in his right hand is about to be inserted. There were claims that the soldier is putting the wrong foot forward, but the regiment confirms that the pose is correct. Across his chest is an ammunition belt. A water bottle and a bayonet hang at his waist, and on his back is a bedroll.