A short service will take place next to Highbridge’s Frank Foley Statue in Market Street on Friday January 27th to commemorate World Holocaust Day.
A short of service of remembrance will be held at 12 noon, conducted by Rev Martin Little from St John’s Church in Highbridge.
Wreaths will be laid at the statue in Market Street by residents and all will be welcome to join the event.
“Local schools and churches will be involved. It is a Christian act of worship, but is very much intended to be accessible to all as an act of memorial, reflection, and commitment to peace,” says Rev Little.
Highbridge-born Frank Foley was employed as a Passport Control Officer in Berlin from 1920 until 1939.
In his role, he was able to help hundreds of Jews escape from Nazi Germany before the outbreak of World War Two. He had no diplomatic immunity and put himself at great risk by helping to save the lives of 10,000 Jews.
The Frank Foley statue in Highbridge was unveiled in 2005 and attended by the Rt Hon Des Browne, Home Office Minister for Citizenship and Immigration; (Rabbi) Baroness Julia Neuburger and Michael Smith, author of ‘Foley, The Spy who saved 10,000 Jews’ as well as other local and national dignitaries.
In summer 2022, the Frank Foley statue was given a professional wash and clean by the district council, as pictured above.
Four years ago, Burnham-On-Sea.com reported that a statue for Highbridge war hero Frank Foley had also been unveiled by the Foreign Secretary at the time.
