Frome Heritage Museum volunteers are asking local residents if they have any photographs taken in or near Frome during World War II that they would be happy either to donate or to photocopy for the museum to store and display.
Trustee Barry Edwards explains, “We have recently been re-cataloguing all the many thousands of items in our possession including hundreds of photos, and were surprised to discover that we have only relatively few photos and documents that relate to the years 1939-1945. Although we have acquired quite a few pictures and accounts of the Home Guard and also of evacuees, we have almost no reminders of the many American servicemen who were stationed in Frome, nor of General Montgomery who was, of course, living for a while at the Portway Hotel. There may have been security reasons that can account for this, but it would be wonderful if you could look through your collections and albums to see if you can help us improve our coverage of these aspects of the war in Frome.”
The museum is regularly contacted by relatives of GIs who were stationed in Frome, but it is not always possible to help them discover more. Please phone 01373 454611 during opening hours (Tuesday – Saturday 10 am to 2 pm) if you may have something that would be useful for researchers and future generations.
The museum is also looking for new volunteers to join a happy band of stewards, exhibition organisers, data inputters and many others. Though of particular interest to those who like history and heritage, there are plenty of other reasons for volunteering in an establishment that plays a vital role in preserving and displaying items that record the extraordinary progress of our small town from wool and textile centre to one of the best 6 places to live in the UK according to the Sunday Times!
