Fiona Bruce MP visits Remembrance Exhibition at Trinity Methodist Church, Wagg Street, Congleton
Fiona Bruce MP visited the Remembrance Exhibition at Trinity Methodist Church during Remembrance Weekend. The exhibition was collected over eleven years by Congleton resident, Keith Hassall, who says “I was inspired to start it to boost the Remembrance Service attendance in Congleton on Remembrance Sunday. Local people have helped me to collect photographs, uniforms, ration books, shells, shrapnel, music, household goods and items for leisure activities and I have made model planes and ships.”Bill Minnitt of West Heath, Congleton, a member of the Royal British Legion and of the Retired Men’s Club of Trinity Methodist Church, who helped put the exhibition together said at the event “It is fantastic, it brings back memories for me as a child growing up in the war and also of my father who was in Burma in the forgotten army – I remember everyone was celebrating VE day and I thought ‘my Dad’s still there.’”
The exhibition also brought back memories for Frank Worrall, 86 and his wife Irene, 83, who met when Irene was an evacuee from Stretton, Nr Warrington, to Mow Cop. Frank, who fought on D-Day, said “From Congleton there were 247 killed in the First World War and 107 in the Second World War so it is very important that we remember them in ways like this Remembrance Exhibition.”
Rebecca Finlay of Congleton High School said at the exhibition “It is really interesting to see how times have changed and how much more opportunity we have now in terms of things to do in our spare time – also we have a lot more variety in food. I would not have liked to have had to hoover with a Ewbank or iron with a not flat iron!”
Alison Munro, a teacher at Offley Primary School, to which Keith took the exhibition, said “The children love this exhibition because it brings the world wars to life for them – for example, they like putting on the uniforms and the helmets.”
Congleton Councillor, Glen Williams, said “This is a very interesting exhibition which highlights the impact on Congleton during the war and demonstrates how the town has changed during that time and the huge acknowledgment of the sacrifices the service men and women made at the time and it is important we keep remembering that.”
