Highbridge’s Frank Foley Statue was part of a nationwide event to mark the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz Birkenau on Tuesday (27th January).
The Frank Foley Statue in Market Street hosted a special candle designed by Sir Anish Kapoor as part of a national initiative that saw 70 candles lit at Holocaust Memorial Day events across the UK.
Joyce Curtis, Chairman of the former Frank Foley Committee, lit the candle during a short service conducted around the statue on Tuesday morning.
The well-attended service was held to start a moment of reflection honouring the survivors of the Holocaust and subsequent genocides.
The event was attended by the Chairman of Sedgemoor District Council, Cllr Peter Downing, and the Mayor of Burnham and Highbridge, Cllr Martin Cox.
Highbridge War Memorial Trust, which has commemorated Holocaust Memorial Day since 2006, was chosen to host a candle from hundreds of applications sent to the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, which is the charity responsible for marking Holocaust Day in the UK.
Event organiser on behalf of the Trust, Joyce Curtis, told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “Holocaust Memorial Day is an important focal point in the year and we were pleased that Highbridge was selected to be part of this nationwide commemoration. It is vital that we remember and reflect upon the horrors of the past, and honour those who survived.”
Highbridge-born Frank Foley, right, 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.
Sir Ainish’s candles were also lit at a national commemorative event in central London and at Auschwitz as part of international commemorations.
Olivia Marks-Woldman, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, says: “Sir Ainsh Kapoor created the beautiful candle to mark Holocaust Memorial Day on the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.”
“When all 70 of their candles were lit throughout the country, it created a poignant moment of remembrance and a time for us all to ensure we keep the memory alive.”
