A special ceremony is to be held in Highbridge next week to officially unveil the new replacements for two wartime plaques that were stolen by mean thieves last year.
Burnham-On-Sea.com reported here that two plaques dedicated to wartime hero Frank Foley and a group of American soldiers who served locally during the World War Two had been stolen from Highbridge’s Southwell Gardens.
The plaques – which are believed to have been stolen for their scrap metal value – are being replaced by granite ones.
Burnham and Highbridge’s Mayor Michael Clarke and Mayoress Maria Clarke will attend the unveiling ceremony in the Memorial Gardens at Southwell House on Thursday March 29th at 11am.
The trustees of Highbridge War Memorial Trust have organised the service of dedication, which will be led by members of the local clergy and be open to all residents.
“We are so pleased that the stolen plaques are being replaced and we look forward to welcoming along Andrew Tag, a friend of Bob Jurney who originally gave Highbridge the American plaque,” the trust’s Pam Lyes told Burnham-On-Sea.com.
The American plaque was originally unveiled in the Garden of Remembrance on the 50th Anniversary of ‘D’ Day in June 1994. The wartime plaque was dedicated to American soldiers responsible for the operation of a large petrol depot located in the Highbridge area. The fuel played a major role in the invasion of the French coast on 6th June 1944 and in support of Allied advances on the continent.
Highbridge-born war hero Frank Foley’s plaque was also located in the gardens in honour of his life-saving work during the war. His plaque, pictrured, stated: “The spy who saved the lives of 10,000 Jews from the Holocaust. Born at 7 Walrow Terrace, Highbridge.”
Highbridge War Memorial Trust will also be holding a fundraising Coffee Morning on March 31st at Southwell House in Highbridge between 10am and 12 noon when all will be welcome.
Pictured: Top, Pam Lyes and Shirley Adams from the Frank Foley Committee pointing at the empty space where the American plaque was stolen from and, above, Highbridge’s Frank Foley plaque which was also stolen
