An Evening to Remember
Over two hundred people gathered in the hall at Flegg High School for the première of Martham Stories on Friday 24th May 2013. Refreshments were consumed, photos taken, speeches made. Then came the main event: an eighty-five minute film of interviews, animation, photographs and local scenes, all of such quality that time flew by. The students displayed high levels of creative and technical ability, whilst their subjects — Martham residents spanning the last eighty years — were relaxed, vocal and clearly having the time of their lives.
Some of the stories were informative, tracing Martham's earliest history through archaeology, mapping and metal detecting. Others were more personally serious — especially those about the war years. The death of a childhood friend in a bombing raid; a lucky near-miss during a strafing; coping with evacuees and with food rationing; the wartime mystery that is Heigham Holmes. We heard how shops and businesses have changed over the years, especially the impact of the 1950s closure of the railway.
How different everyday life was in the mid-20th century: teachers with canes; dancing lessons in the meadow by the school; children with the freedom to roam and to enjoy the river and the countryside; mass football on The Green. Childhood pranks and adventures were retold and received with laughter and applause. There were murmurs of recognition, asides and comments from the audience. And afterwards, everyone had enjoyed the evening.
The students were presented individually to the audience, each receiving their copy of the DVD. They spoke of all they had learned, how good it was to meet with the people who are part of their own history, how the experience may affect their own futures. One or two hope for front-line roles in the media. The roar of approval this received from their peers, their teachers and their audience can lead us to only one conclusion — watch this space.
During one of my recent weekly browsing sessions of the latest Norfolk Broads related uploads to YouTube, I came across a delightful set of films about the history of Martham which I thought I'd share on here.
Martham Stories is a community led local history project funded with an All Our Stories Heritage Lottery Fund grant, and is a wonderful example of preservation of the region's heritage. The films cover various aspects of the village's history through old photos, animation and, most importantly, the memories of people who have lived in the village for a number of years. The interviews featured are just fascinating — this is something that every village and town up and down the UK should be doing.
Films in the collection include Village Shops, Fire and Flood, Railway Memories, War Years, and a fascinating piece on the secret WW2 airfield on Heigham Holmes from which Lysander aircraft were said to have flown Special Operations Executives to and from Europe.
The full collection of Martham Stories films is available to watch free on YouTube.
Watch Martham Stories on YouTube