Although this column is normally about Frome’s past, looking each time at various aspects of the town’s illustrious heritage, in this one we look to the future and 2020.
Do not worry though, as what this entails is 12 months of continued celebrations of historical Frome, through anniversaries, publications, projects, festivals and other events.
Possibly the most important anniversary in connection with the town during this coming year will be the 75th anniversary of World War Two’s end.
Frome played an important part in the 1939-45 conflict and the story of this contribution is told in the first of our several collective books due to be published this year.
Frome at War 1939-45, due out this month, recounts the humanitarian role the town played in welcoming everyone from evacuees to American GIs, as well as Montgomery.
At the same time, it tells the stories of local people who served overseas, along with those who stayed behind and volunteered for Civil Defence and other vital services.
The book also covers more controversial subjects, such as Frome’s role as an alternate town in the build up to D-Day, and the tragic story of the submarine the town adopted.
Although more by coincidence than by design, Frome at War 1939-45 is being published in the year which, as has been mentioned, sees the 75th anniversary of its ending.
And this landmark anniversary will no doubt be marked throughout the year by events surrounding V.E. Day in May, V.J. Day in August and Remembrance Day in November.
March sees our Visitors’ Historic Guide to Somerset published. This book shines a light on historical landmarks in the county, including Frome and surrounding areas. Other relevant books of ours seeing the light of day this year include one about long barrows in Somerset and A-Z of Frome, full of fascinating facts about the town.
The entry for ’H’ in the latter book includes ‘Hoard’, which relates to the now famous Frome Hoard, the discovery of which celebrates its tenth anniversary this year.
In April 2010, for the uninitiated, Dave Crisp, a metal detectorist, discovered one of the largest finds of Roman coins in a field near Frome and rewrote history in the process.
It is hoped that at least part of this incredible haul will be on show in the town sometime during the year.
The month thereafter will hopefully see Frome’s inaugural Local History Festival, spread over the first May Bank Holiday weekend and lasting three days.
This will incorporate the 75th Anniversary V.E. Day ‘celebrations’ and then take as its theme for the remainder of the festival events: ‘Underground, Overground’.
The main Frome Festival in July will more than likely include many events celebrating various historical aspects of Frome, following on from those about J.W. Singer last year.
While another event, with historical elements attached, will be the annual Frome Walking Festival, in November, which will build on the many relevant walks last time.
Frome Community Education continues its Local History course, with January seeing this ever-popular course being run in the evening for the first time.
And all this on top of events and projects being run by local organisations such as Frome Family History Group, Frome Society for Local Studies, Home in Frome and Frome Museum.
Finally, there will hopefully be, of course, another 12 months of ‘Frome Times Past’, which sees 2020 as its third consecutive year.
So, an incredible year ahead and who says that history is just a thing of the past.
Mick Davis and David Lassman