Kent film-maker Peter Williams has now completed his epic, full-length feature documentary telling the tale of one of the bloodiest battles of the second world war.
A Canterbury Tale; Albert Figg and The Battle for Hill 112 was premiered as part of the 2022 Canterbury Festival at a well-attended event in the Great Hall at Kent College, supported by The Lord Mayor of Canterbury, Cllr Pat Todd.
The film’s launch marked a significant milestone for the Hill 112 Memorial Foundation, which has spent several years commissioning and funding this remarkable work, as well as the culmination of what was very much a ‘labour of love’ for the film-maker.
Albert Figg himself asked Peter to make the film, which was based around filmed interviews with some of the men who took part and has received critical acclaim since its launch.
The documentary was quickly bought by the British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) and was screened on Forces TV and to all British forces on 2 and 3 June during Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Nicola Green of BFBS described it as "a soldier's story of heroism, determination and achievement, relevant to servicemen and women everywhere”, adding: “It is also the story of a battle which, amid all the coverage of D Day and the weeks that followed, has not had the attention it deserved. We are delighted to have secured it for its first broadcast."
Albert spent the last 30 years of his life creating the memorial on the crest of Hill 112, just outside Caen, but died before his last wish for a documentary of the event could be completed. While that last wish has now been fulfilled, The Hill 112 Memorial Foundation, led by chairman Annette Oliver, Albert's daughter, is still raising the cash to pay for it.
You can help by buying a copy of this amazing film on DVD or on USB memory stick for just £15, plus £2.50 postage.
This International Indiefest Award-winning film, which tells the story of the Battle for Hill 112 and the determination of Canterbury’s own Albert Figg to remember his former colleagues, is being screened at the Duke of York’s Military School, Dover on Friday 17 January.
The showing starts at 7pm, with all profits going towards the Hill 112 Memorial Foundation. Admission is by donation, and tickets can be booked via the PayPal buttons below.
The Duke of York’s Military School is at Guston, near Dover CT15 5EQ.
You can find out more about the film and watch a short clip here
Adult £10
the Exeter Alumni Auditorium in the Forum Building
Albert Figg and the Battle for Hill 112
in the presence of
The Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Devon,
Rear Admiral (Rtd) Chris Snow CBE DL,
who is also Devon County President of the Royal British Legion
The 40” necklace, which can be worn as a single or two-string decoration and features a diamond and gold double link clasp, is just one of three fantastic prizes, with a magnum of Brut Champagne by Taittinger and an 18th green flag signed by Tommy Fleetwood after winning the HSBC golf championship also on offer.
Tickets for this exceptional raffle are strictly limited to just 250 and are available in return for a donation to the charity of £20 for one ticket or £50 for three chances to win.
Entry is online and simple, and prize winners will be announced at a charity film premiere being held at the Dominion Cinema, Edinburgh, on the evening of Monday 20 March. Entries close at 1300 GMT on Friday 17 March, so get your entry in before then to be in with a chance of winning one of these fantastic prizes.
All you need to do is click on one of the PayPal buttons below to donate the cost of one or three tickets, and then follow the instructions. We will then email you back with your unique ticket number or numbers. Winners will be contacted shortly after the event and their name will be published on the website.
Edward Green, who has donated the necklace, enjoyed a distinguished career as managing director of both Mappin and Webb and Garrard the Crown Jewellers and as President of Asprey in the United States. He is a board member of the National Galleries of Scotland and a Deputy to the Lord Lieutenant for Edinburgh.
The city’s Lord Provost, Robert Aldridge, will welcome guests to the premiere, tickets for which are on sale through the Dominion Cinema box office: Tel. 0131 447 4771 or email boxoffice@dominioncinema.co.uk
For more details email annette@thehill112.com
Certain battles are turning points to victory in War. The battle for Hill 112 was just such a battle.
It took place in Normandy as the Allied forces that had landed in France in June 1944 to liberate Europe from Hitler’s Nazi oppressors pushed southwards. Hill 112 was a strategic point on that journey, and the battle to secure it against Nazi Panzers was long and bloody. Peter Williams' award-winning full length documentary film The Battle for Hill 112 – A Canterbury Tale tells that story.
The D-Day operation was the world’s greatest amphibious campaign. British, American and Allied troops landed in France on 6 June, 1944 but met considerable Nazi resistance as they pressed on towards Caen, so much so that the success of the operation was in the balance for some weeks.
Seven thousand men, many of them from Scottish Regiments, died on Hill 112, a stretch of high ground of which German Field Marshall Irwin Rommel declared: “Whoever holds Hill 112, controls Normandy.”
In honour of the thousands of men who died in capturing Hill 112, The Battle for Hill 112 – A Canterbury Tale will receive its Scottish premiere at the Dominion Cinema in Edinburgh on Monday 20 March at 6:30pm.
This is a fund-raising event for the Hill 112 Memorial Foundation, a registered charity dedicated to completing and maintaining a memorial on the crest of the hill to the men who died there. The Lord Provost will welcome those attending the event and there will be a Q & A with director Peter Williams at the end of the performance.
There will also be a performance of the film at the Dominion Cinema on Saturday morning, 18 March, for which army units, cadets and their families and supporters can buy tickets at £10. These tickets are also available through the Dominion Cinema Box Office.
Please support this initiative both to honour those who paid the ultimate price for victory in World War Two and to sustain the charity that is ensuring their memory and sacrifice is never forgotten.
