Work starts on statue of 'British Schindler' Frank Foley
Work has started on a statue honouring a Second World War hero dubbed the 'British Schindler'.
Midlands artist Andy de Comyn has begun modelling the statue of Frank Foley, who was given the moniker after repeatedly risking his life to save Jews in Nazi Germany.
Major Foley, who retired to Stourbridge and is buried in the town, worked undercover in pre-war Nazi Berlin.
He provided thousands of Jews with the documents they needed to escape Germany by bending the rules when stamping passports or issuing visas.
He also hid Jews in his own home and even went into Sachsenhausen concentration camp with visas to enable prisoners to leave.
The memorial to Major Foley will be in Mary Stevens Park – close to his former home in Eveson Road and the cemetery where he is buried. It is due to be unveiled in June.
Dudley North MP Ian Austin has spearheaded the campaign for a permanent tribute, persuading then Chancellor George Osborne to stump up £40,000 to cover the costs.
Mr Austin said: "I am absolutely delighted that work has started and the statue should be ready next summer so people can learn about him and our country’s role in fighting for freedom, democracy and tolerance against Nazi Germany.
“Frank Foley refused to stand by when people were being persecuted because of their race and religion and his heroism helped saved ten thousand people from the Holocaust.
“When other European countries were sending Jews to concentration camps, Britain provided a safe haven for tens of thousands of refugees.
"I think this period defines what it means to be British – our unique response to the Holocaust and role in the war gives us the right to claim a particular attachment to the values of democracy, equality, freedom, fairness and tolerance.”
The model shows Major Foley seated on a park bench, just as he might have in Berlin in the 1930s.
He is feeding a bird, symbolising freedom and the people he helped, and a briefcase at his side hints at his MI6 work.
The statue will be placed in the Upper Terrace of the park's Tea Garden. Visitors will be able to sit next to Major Foley and reflect on his heroism.
The statue is expected to become part of a Foley Trail that will include a stone plaque carved by Malcolm Sier in 2004 at the park entrance that also commemorates Major Foley.
A memorial tree was planted in 2016, as well as his grave in the cemetery, and Eveson Road where he lived in retirement with his wife.
Frank Foley’s great-nephew, Stephen Higgs, said: "I am delighted a statue of Frank Foley has been commissioned and we are all truly grateful to Ian Austin and everyone else who has worked so hard to bring this about.
“We look forward to seeing the statue in place in the park, so all who visit it have the chance to get to know Frank Foley's story and to learn from his example."
Mr De Comyn was selected for the work by a panel, while the project and commission is being organised by Steve Field, Dudley Council’s public artist.
His previous work includes several sculptural memorials at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas. He will cast the clay version of the statue into permanent bronze at a local Birmingham foundry.
Stourbridge MP Margot James said: "I am so pleased that by next summer we will have a statue of Major Frank Foley in Stourbridge, close to where he lived after the Second World War.
“The statue is a fitting tribute to Major Foley’s heroic actions, and I know that people from all around the area will visit and sit with him, to reflect and to learn about his life.
“My thanks go to Ian Austin, who has campaigned tirelessly, and to former Chancellor George Osborne, for agreeing to fund this project."
Author Michael Smith wrote 'Frank Foley: The Spy Who Saved Ten Thousand Jews', a book which brought Major Foley to prominence.
He has also welcomed the news about the statue, saying: "Andy de Comyn's quiet park bench will provide a wonderful place for anyone to sit and contemplate the effect Foley had on the world.
“The bare figures show that Foley saved tens of thousands of Jews, but they do not do justice to his legacy.
"The vast majority of people he saved had children and then grand-children, and then great-grandchildren who will of course over time have children of their own.
"How many people are now alive because of the quiet humanity of this one man?"
