These two rather surprising men – both employed in somewhat nefarious-sounding, high-powered jobs in Trade and Industry - were proverbial treasure troves, with details about one soldier who had left a fiancée in Lewes, and especially about Yrjo-Pekka’s great-great grandfather who, along with his brother, returned from their time in Lewes with a new 'macho image' and immediately snapped up wealthy spinsters as wives.
The general impression was that the soldiers were seen as quite a catch after their time in England, and that they really enjoyed themselves here, except for the white bread, not nearly so good as the wonderful dark Finnish bread from home. Any Franco-bashers out there might also be pleased to hear that one half of the regiment were sent to France where they suffered abysmal treatment - who says the English don’t know how to treat strangers? Home in Lewes now, I feel proud that the people of this town were so welcoming and tolerant, even in wartime.
Now all that follows is to get the Lewes side of things up to scratch. Rehearsals for the community chorus begin this Saturday at the Westgate Chapel, from 3 to 6, and if any keen singers are only just hearing about the project, we can probably fit in a few more - especially men - so come along if you’re interested in performing alongside Jere, Jarmo, Arto, Olli, Mikael, Pekka, Petri and Nicholas. From this date forward, Viva Lewes has kindly agreed to let us keep an occasional public diary of the creation of this new piece, so expect to hear from lots of the different people who are making such a big project come to life. The Finns are coming - it’s time to prepare.

Susannah Waters, Artistic Director of The Paddock