We've just received the following email. Anyone able to provide them with any assistance?
We are writing you on behalf of the cultural association "O Faiado da Memoria" (memory chest) from Vilagarcía de Arousa (Spain); our association is preparing a documentary about the town and we would like to ask for some help.
The Royal Navy was coming to Ría de Arousa year after year since the second half of the 19th century. This relationship between the Navy with our town, Villagarcia has been captured in different pictures, press and even a film. Furthermore, near to our local graveyard, another one belonging to the Royal Navy can be found, as some of the sailors were buried there. However, in 1936, this relationship ended.
The documentary work we are preparing shows the visits of the English Navy in town through the stories of different people who is collaborating with us, remembering all the personal experiences and anecdotes during that time.
As part of our research since we have started this project, we have recouped some pictures of the ships, different postcards sent from Vilagarcía (found later on in the UK) and a film about the Navy ships in the bay mentioned above; but none of these show the human side of this relationship.
Having said that, we think there must be a lot much more visual material as pictures, letters and documents; for this reason we would like to know all the possible stories coming from “the other side”, the English Navy, the crew, and families who came over here and stayed in town. Daily routine activities meanwhile they were here as games played here, activities like supplying the ships, sailors around town, the relationships with local people or other events; we are looking for some more of this material if it is possible.
For all of this, we would like to request your collaboration in order to be able to get some more material related to this part of your history together. If you require some more information about us or this project we will be happy to do it as we would like you to understand which our purpose is and get some help.
Looking forward to hearing from you soon.
