Our Lady and St Thomas of Canterbury

Introduction

Our Lady and St Thomas of Canterbury in Wymondham, in the Diocese of East Anglia, was built in 1952 as the FEPOW Memorial Church, designed by Donovan Purcell. It is the only church dedicated to the memory of FEPOW and civilian internees of all faiths and nationalities who died in Japanese POW and internment camps during World War II.

History

The church was originally built in 1952, and has since been enlarged with a narthex, meeting rooms, and a separate parish hall. The FEPOW Memorial Church was paid for largely by public subscription through appeals, parish fundraising, and relatives' donations. The original list of names was compiled in the 1950s, but no information about where the names were obtained from survives.

Architecture and furnishings

The new font is octagonal and larger than the font it replaced in 2001, when it was blessed at the consecration. The font was reclaimed from a redundant church in Norwich and may date to the Restoration of the Catholic Hierarchy around 1850. The cross on the roof is unique in its three-dimensional form, appearing as a complete cross when viewed from any direction outside.

The FEPOW Memorial Shrine is a side chapel within the church, housing a cabinet displaying three Books of Remembrance with names of FEPOW who died in Japanese captivity. A second cabinet houses new Books of Remembrance, augmenting FEPOW who died but were not listed in the original books, and one volume contains the names of FEPOW survivors who have died since their release.

The original, much smaller font was donated by the CWL in 1953 to complete the vision of the church as a 'Living Memorial'. The original font was retired after 48 years when a formal baptistery area was created in the Narthex in 2001.

After the annual FEPOW service on 11 May 2025, a FEPOW's treasured keepsake of his captivity was presented to the church by Jane Flower, FEPOW historian. The keepsake was a carol hymn sheet dated 25 December 1942, with 30 signatures of choir members, which had been scrunched into a tiny ball and survived 3½ years in the Far East. After conservation, the restorer gifted the carol sheet to the FEPOW Church, and it was accepted with a pledge of its safe keeping.

Parish life

The church holds a computerised database of the 25,000 original names, with an additional 6,000 FEPOW who died before the cessation of hostilities on 2 September 1945 added. The parish serves the communities of Wymondham, Attleborough, Hethersett, Mulbarton and Hingham. The parish runs monthly social events, prayer groups, volunteer groups including the Catholic Women's League and Far East Prisoners of War, a social events committee, a Parish Pastoral Council and a Finance Committee.

The Wymondham Community Outreach Project, which ran a Foodbank at the church since the beginning of the pandemic, has moved to Wymondham Abbey. The church holds some records on civilians and some civilian internees, though little detailed information has survived for the civilians mentioned. The handwritten Books on display cannot be altered, but amendments can be made to incomplete records in the electronic database. The church is not and has never been part of any military or governmental organisation, nor does it receive information from any official source.

Sacraments and pastoral care

Parents seeking baptism for their children must first speak to the Parish Priest at the church. Wedding ceremonies at the church normally require six months' notice to the Parish Priest. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is available after each Mass on request. Requests for a Catholic chaplain to visit a patient in the N&N hospital are made through the ward or hospital chaplaincy.

Funeral arrangements are made by asking the funeral director to contact the church as soon as possible. Visits to the church at times other than the annual service can be arranged by contacting the Parish Archivist. The information held by the church is entirely dependent on information provided by relatives, friends, ex-comrades or veterans newsletters.

Visiting

Limited on-site parking is available, with the nearest public car park in Back Lane. The church is open each day until dusk.

A small committee oversees the management of the annual memorial service. To view or search a specific name in the Books, an appointment has to be made before visiting. Guided visits are available, and visitors are most welcome. The church provides web links to other useful FEPOW resources, including the JAVA Club and the National Fellowship of FEPOW Remembrance Association.

Peter Wiseman is available for queries about the Books of Remembrance, visits and other FEPOW information. It is not a requirement to have a FEPOW/Internee family connection to attend the service.