The history of Frome between 1939-1945 – in film, music and Festival of Remembrance.
Frome is to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of WW2 with a “Weekend to Remember”, bringing the history of Frome between 1939-1945 to all generations.
The special one off weekend over Friday 7th to Sunday 9th November, will begin on Friday night with a Frome Festival of Remembrance at the Memorial Theatre, poignantly itself in the centenary year of unveiling plaques to the fallen of the Great War 1914-1918. All generations will take part with history, original video interviews of past Frome veterans and music led by children, Frome Musical Theatre Company and Frome Town Band. The evening will finish with a Drumhead Ceremony and Act of Remembrance with Standards of the Royal British Legion, Royal Naval Association and Royal Air Force Association.
Saturday will begin at 9:45am from the Memorial Theatre with the first of three war grave walks over the day. A reading of the Roll of Honour of the fallen of WW2 will take place at the Memorial at 11am, then at 2pm in the Assembly Rooms, the premiere of a series of Frome amateur archive films taken during 1939-1945 will be shown. At 7pm, dress up in 1940’s costume and pay just £5 to go to the pictures in what was always known as the Grand Cinema, now Memorial Theatre, for a special showing of the epic 1942 Noel Coward film “In Which We Serve”.
“The Weekend to Remember” will end on Sunday with the Annual Parade and Act of Remembrance at 10:55am at the Frome Memorial.
Jane Norris of the Frome Branch RBL says: “This will be a once in a lifetime weekend, and will record the history of Frome during WW2 in a lively, relatable way, with anecdotes, humour and respect. It is including everyone and all generations, by bringing to today the history of those who stayed and worked or who went to school in Frome; the many who left, some not to return, and many more who left and returned but who never spoke about their time until much later in life.
In collaboration with local author and historian David Lassman of Frome Heritage CIC, and in the only possible venue of The Frome Memorial Theatre, we are aiming to create a legacy weekend. We honour the past by passing onto the next generation,” says Jane.
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