Following its opening on March 10th, Wymondham Heritage Museum had a busy weekend. First, South Norfolk MP Ben Goldsborough popped in for a tour. This was followed by the official opening of the museum’s Echoes of Valour display, marking the 80th Anniversary of VE Day and VJ Day.

Mr Goldsborough was shown around by museum volunteer Laura Osadciw.

“With English Tourism Week coming up, I’m banging the drum for local attractions,” he said. “There is funding to be had, and I want to see how I can help places like the museum get it.”

Laura explained to Mr Goldsborough the rich heritage of the ancient Bridewell building and how, in 1785, it became a model prison for others in the country and elsewhere in the world.

There was much to interest the MP, including the two recreated shops, The Damgate Stores and Chas H Standley’s hardware store (“The Little Dustpan”), the display telling the tale of Robert Kett’s 1549 rebellion, and the Brushroom, celebrating the town’s once major industry.

The Regal Cinemas display prompted a happy memory for Mr Goldsborough when he spotted a poster for A Fistful of Dollars. “That was my father’s favourite film,” he mused.

It was the Echoes of Valour display that commemorates the 80th anniversaries of VE Day and VJ Day that struck a cord.

“VJ Day often gets forgotten,” he said. “After VE Day, things had gone back to normal. But I feel quite emotional as my great-grandfather was captured in Singapore. He never talked about it. His medals were locked away in a draw. When Grandfather Jack, as we called him, passed away, we donated them to Duxford.”

Impressed with his visit, Mr Goldsborough thanked the volunteers saying: “Local museums are so important. If you go to places such as the British Museum, it’s dates and events. Local museums provide a link back to families, to human stories, where people came from and were going to.”

The museum’s reception was overflowing with guests as the Echoes of Valour display was officially opened. Museum committee chair Simon Long welcomed everybody, and Laura Osadciw (the project’s driving force) told the guests that the inspiration for the display came from her partner Guy’s “extraordinary” grandmother, Binda.

“Having heard her story, read her letters and looked at hundreds of photographs of her, Binda was extraordinary,” said Laura. “With a skill for languages and intelligence, she was recruited by the Special Operations Executive (part of MI5) in 1941, and served with them until the end of the war in 1945.”

The more Laura learnt about Binda’s story, the more she realised how many incredible stories of Norfolk people’s wartime duty and heroism existed. She wanted to shed light on these stories and their contribution to the war effort.

The result is Echoes of Valour: a display examining the war in Wymondham and across the country. It features the stories of nine people, including four Far East Prisoners of War. Hanging above the display are the names of Far East prisoners of war.

“Laura explained: “Each is the name of a Far East prisoner of war, suspended in much the same limbo that they would have found themselves in the camps: unsure of what would come, whether they would survive or if they would ever see home again.”

One of these stories is that of Wymondham man Frank Chamberlain who joined the Marines at age 18 and was taken prisoner in Hong Kong. His son David and daughter-in-law Tina have provided his story for inclusion in the display. At the official launch of Echoes of Valour, Tina read a poem she had written specially for the occasion before cutting the ribbon to declare the exhibition open.

Please feel free to visit our website for more details about the museum.