Fifty people attended a special ceremony next to Highbridge’s Frank Foley Statue in Market Street on Friday (January 27th) to commemorate World Holocaust Day.
The service of remembrance was conducted by Rev Martin Little, vicar of St John’s Church in Highbridge, watched by residents plus Mayor Cllr Lesley Millard and Sedgemoor District Council Chairman Cllr Alan Bradford.
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 thousands 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. This year, 2023, marks the 65th year since he died.
Prayers and readings in memory of Holocaust victims were read by pupils from Burnham’s St Andrew’s School and Highbridge’s Churchfield School. Floral tributes were also laid at the statue.
“It was a Christian act of worship, but was very much intended to be accessible to all as an act of memorial, reflection, and commitment to peace,” Rev Little told Burnham-On-Sea.com.
The Frank Foley statue in Highbridge was unveiled in 2005. 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.
