Soham 
Had a population of less than 5000

​During the Second World War in this area, most people lived in small gas-lit places. There were few cars and even fewer bright lights. Towns were grey brick, dull, quite isolated working settlements with most people employed within easy reach of their homes, often in agriculture or crafts and industries related to the rich soil of the Fens. Soham, with its population of less than 5,000, was well known for its grammar school for boys. Best described as a long and straggling village along the A142, Soham was a confident, hard working, practical place. Its principal industry was agriculture with many employed at Clark & Butcher’s Mill. Soham had a railway station which became the focus of a wartime story of heroism and miraculous escape when on 2 June 1944 a rail truck laden with bombs for the military caught fire and blew up. The bravery of driver Benjamin Gimbert and fireman James Nightall in detaching the truck from 44 other bomb-filled trucks saved Soham from total disaster. Download our Soham information leaflet here!

Then and now

“I remember queuing…from Clay Street (at the Regent Cinema) round over to The Ship…for ‘Gone with the Wind.” 

“We had three bakers in Soham…my sister’s wedding cake was from Fuller’s Bakery…it had to be chocolate as there was no rations for icing.”

A Fuller's Bakery bag from the 1940's.

“Watkins…we use to go there for everything…from a pair of socks to a hat.” 

"​Discovering the old stores of Soham has been fascinating! Who owned which building and what it was used for. I never knew we had two cinemas - fantastic exhibition!" Public Visitor

“(There were) two or three dance halls that I use to frequent very often…the dance halls were always popular – I loved it.”