Sir Martin Gilbert, Winston Churchill’s official biographer, joined an American TV crew for a special visit to Highbridge last week to film a documentary about the town’s wartime hero Frank Foley.
Filming took place at the Frank Foley Statue in the town centre (pictured above) and included interviews with Rev Robin Lodge of St John’s Church (right) and members of Highbridge’s Frank Foley Committee.
The programme, for an American cable TV channel, will focus on the lives of British Diplomats who had risked their lives to save Jews from Nazi persecution during the 1930s – one of whom was Major Frank Foley, who was born in Highbridge.
Sir Martin Gilbert and his wife Lady Hester, who commissioned the documentary, accompanied the film crew throughout the visit.
They filmed the Frank Foley Statue next to Highbridge Community Hall and then proceeded to St John’s Church to meet Rev Lodge, where he was interviewed besides the altar.
Frank Foley Committee Chairman Joyce Curtis and Secretary Pam Lyes took the TV crew to the house at 7 Walrow Terrace where Frank Foley was born.
“We were filmed walking along the road to the house with Sir Martin, who admired the plaque over the doorway and said he felt very privileged to be stood outside of the house of such a great man,” Pam told Burnham-On-Sea.com. “It was a great honour to met Sir Martin.”
“The whole visit was kept very quiet, at the request of the film crew, and we didn’t even know ourselves when they would be coming until a few minutes before.”
Joyce and Pam were given a copy of his book ‘Kristallnacht – Prelude to Destruction’.
He also wrote the booklet called “Beyond the call of Duty” which was distributed to everyone who attended the Plaque Unveiling ceremony at the Foreign Office last November.
Sir Martin is one of Britain’s most distinguished historians, having been educated at Highgate School and spent two years in the army as a National Serviceman. After Sir Randolph Churchill’s death in 1968, Sir Martin succeeded him as the official biographer of Sir Winston Churchill.
Pictured are top: the Frank Foley Statue in Highbridge with Sir Martin Gilbert; Centre: Rev Robin Lodge; and above: Highbridge’s Frank Foley
