Frome at War 1939-1945 is a comprehensive account of this Somerset
market town's experience of the conflict, covering in detail life on the
Home Front set against the background of the wider theaters of war.
The narrative of that global struggle is given with a focus on the
ordeals endured by the people of Frome, as they cheered their men and
women fighters off to war, welcomed hundreds of evacuated men, women and
children to the town, and contributed their part to the fight against
Hitler and the Nazi threat.
Rare insights into the life of the town are included, along with seldom
told stories from the footnotes of history; from Frome's part within the
secret underground resistance movement and the national fight for
women's equality, to the gradual influx of American GIs and
Field-Marshall Montgomery's stay in the aftermath of Dunkirk.
The book incorporates memoirs and memories, along with in depth research
from official records and newspaper accounts, which allow the reader to
see the war not only from ordinary people's perceptive, but the military
experiences of Frome's heroic men and women - and in many cases their
tragic sacrifices - as well.
More controversial aspects are also touched on, including injustice,
espionage, racism and politics, to give a full and fascinating picture
of a town facing profound trials of endurance and courage, but at the
same time revealing the characteristics that have sustained Frome
throughout its illustrious and turbulent history.
