Hall Place

Kirsty    Macklen,    Collections    Manager    for    Bexley    Heritage    Trust    at    Hall    Place    in Bexley,   Kent   curates   a   6   month   exhibition   each   year   at   Hall   Place   for   the   public   using the   Bexley   Museum   collection.   In   an   exhibition   starting   this   September   2014,   she   will be   focusing   on   GIs   who   were   stationed   in   Bexley   as   part   of   the   joint Anglo-American code-breaking   exercise   known   as   Operation   Ultra,   which   was   centred   at   Bletchley Park,   but   incorporated   a   traffic   intercept   station   at   Hall   Place   housing   some   200   U.S. GIs. A   U3A   Shared   Learning   Project   is   currently   under   way   at   Hall   Place   to   help   Kirsty gather   material   for   this   exhibition.   We   are   so   excited   to   be   able   to   tell   the   hidden story   of   the   GIs   and   their   life   here.   But,   we   need   your   help! Sadly,   there   is   very   little physical    evidence    left    of    their    time    there.    Kirsty    would    love    to    personalise    the exhibition   and   tell   the   stories   of   the   men   behind   the   uniform,   so   we   are   on   the   hunt for   any   photographs,   uniforms,   letters,   keepsakes   from   the   GIs   or   their   families, telling us what they did when they were based here. We   are   also   looking   to   explore   in   the   exhibition   how   the   GIs   integrated   with   the   local community   that   lived   in   the   borough.   So   we   are   now   appealing   to   local   U3As   to   ask whether   anyone   remembers,   or   knows   anyone   who   remembers, the   period   1943-45 when   the   GIs   were   stationed   here   at   Hall   Place.   Perhaps   you   played   softball   with   the GIs, or attended local dances? If so, we would love to hear from you. Photo courtesy of Bob Frederickson

HALL PLACE NEEDS YOU!   APPEAL FOR STORIES & MEMORABILIA: AMERICAN GIs AT HALL PLACE, BEXLEY IN WWII (1943-45)