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Thetford Dad’s Army Statue Appeal.
A proposal has been made for a life sized statue of Captain Mainwaring seated on a bench by the town bridge.The sketch below is an artist`s impression of a proposed statue to commemorate the BBC TV programme,Dad`s Army which was filmed in and around Thetford between 1968 and 1977.Drawn by a local artist,John Mayes,the location depicted is that by the town bridge situated between the Bell and Anchor Hotels .These two hotels served as home to the cast and crew during their time in Thetford.The Anchor was also the setting for the first ever scene in the first ever episode,The Man and the Hour filmed in 1968.The anchor is under threat of demolition by developers who have purchased the site.In the background,Bridge House served as the headquarters of Thetford`s own Home Guard in World War II.
The land for the proposed statue is owned by Breckland Council and it is hoped that this will be made available in the near future .Thetford Town Council is supportive of the proposal and it is hoped that an appeal for funds will result in the project coming to fruition. Producers of the show,David Croft and Jimmy Perry have indicated their approval and Arthur Lowe`s grandson has been in contact and wishes to be kept up to date with progress.
If anyone wishes to support the project please make cheque's payable to ‘The Friends of Thetford Dad’s Army Museum’ and send to: Belmont House, 20 King Street, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 2AP. Contact telephone number 07802 701911.
You can donate on line using credit cards,debit cards or direct debit.
Suffolk based sculptor Sean Hedges-Quinn has been commissioned to sculpt the Captain Mainwaring statue! He is thrilled with the commission and is no stranger to sculpting in bronze having several large sculptures under his belt, including Alf Ramsey, Bob Stokoe and Ted Bates. Sean's Dad was a huge fan of Dad's Army and naturally Sean was brought up with the series. Sadly, Sean's Dad passed away just before the unveiling of another of Sean's statues - the Bobby Robson bronze outside Ipswich football stadium - but Sean believes he will be very pleased indeed. 'When I told my Mum about the news, she was thrilled and said how proud Dad would have been'. The original artist's impression is simply that so now really is the time to tell us what you would like to see. We are over half way to our target for raising funds so if you would like to help us wit this amazing challenge please donate generously. The statue unveiling date is 19th June 2010 (fast becoming known as D.A. Day!) and will form part of the week long celebrations that are planned beginning with the stage show. .
The statue was unveiled on June 19th,click on the menu link below for more.
