Dad’s Army and the Walmington-on-Sea display
Bressingham’s link to the ever-popular Dad’s Army television series began in the 1970s.
The museum was happy to lend the BBC some of its historic collection when it was filming the series. Probably the most memorable appearance was that of our Leyland fire engine, which is still here at the museum today, as is Lance Corporal Jones’ butcher’s van, steamroller Boxer and traction engine Bertha, all of which starred in the show.
The museum is also home to a re-creation of a street scene in Walmington-on-Sea, the fictional home of Captain Mainwaring and his Home Guard platoon.
So when you visit Bressingham, take a walk around the display and remember how an old-fashioned High Street used to look!
Peer through the window of Lance Corporal Jones’ butcher’s shop, walk up to counter of Swallow Bank counter and buy a ‘quarter’ of sweets from the old-fashioned confectioner’s and post office.
You can also catch a glimpse of Private Frazer’s funeral parlour and take a seat in the church hall, home to many scenes of the platoon’s comic gatherings.
Bressingham has been the official home to the Dad’s Army Appreciation Society’s collection since 2000.
The series was first broadcast on BBC1 from 1968 to 1977 and was filmed in and around Thetford, with many local residents appearing as extras. Eighty episodes were made in total, which regularly attracted an audience of 18 million viewers.
A Dad’s Army film was released in 1971, followed by a stage show and radio series, and a second film was made in 2016, nearly 50 years after the characters first appeared on television screens.
