On February 21st 2007, just 5 days short of Madeleine’s 101st birthday, a memorial to her memory was unveiled in her home town of West Bromwich.

The site for the memorial, right in front of the new multi-million Public Arts Building, was a very appropriate choice, as Madeleine would have walked past there many times in her younger days on the way to school.

The memorial was the brainchild of local Historian, Terry Price, and the unveiling was attended by local dignataries, including the Lady Mayoress. It was a privilege to be there as the Guest of Honour and despite the freezing weather, crowds turned up to be there.

The memorial is made of polished black marble, and features a profile of Madeleine with an inscription on the side detailing her career. I hope the photos and articles will give you a sense of how well it has been received by her home town, and of how proud they are of their most famous citizen.

The book has a special section on Madeleine Carroll with some really interesting photographs published for the first time.

On Sunday September 24th 2006, I visited the Chateau for the first time and toured the house and gardens. It was fascinating to sense the presence of all those orphans who lived there all those years ago, and under such war conditions.

Plaques have now been placed on both of the West Bromwich houses in which Madeleine lived from 1906 until 1923. The first is at 44, Herbert St, where she lived up to age 6, and the second at No 7, Jesson St, which she moved to in 1912.

A plaque has also been placed on the local Grammar School, which Madeleine attended from 1915 to 1923, and where her father was also a teacher.Newspapers carried articles about the launch, and also about the commemorative stone which is to be unveiled in November in the new West Bromwich Town Centre.

The unveiling of the obelisk is scheduled for November 2006.

The Exhibition in the Museo del Cine in Girona (Spain) in 2006 attracted visitors from many parts of the world.

Local publicity for the Exhibition

The exhibition ran from February to June and covered Madeleine’s life in two basic parts, the first being her Hollywood career and the second her dedication to the War effort, with a separate room given over to large mural photographs, letters, and stories about her work.She is remembered very fondly by local people, and I met with several of them, who actively supported the Exhibition.

Madeleine came first to the region in 1934, and bought a large Estate at a time when tourism was relatively unknown. She had immersed herself in the area, building a beautiful home which to this day is known as Castell Madeleine.

As well as the display featuring every one of her movies, with posters, videos, supporting photographs, the section dealing with Madeleine’s war effort was particularly interesting. Photographs of her work for the American Field Hospital in Bari, Italy.

Calonje Cemetery On February 26th, Madeleine’s centenary, I went to Calonge where she is buried along with her mother. Along with a small group of those who wished to remember her on that day, we placed a small bouquet of flowers on her tomb, and remembered her in the rain.