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A brief encounter with cinema fame "A lot of people were hired as
extras, it was a really big thing, perhaps the biggest thing ever to have happened in
Carnforth."
By RICHARD MACHIN A BRIEF encounter with fame is set to be remembered in Carnforth next year, to mark the 50th anniversary of the town's contribution to a British film legend. It will be exactly 50 years next May since the classic weepie 'Brief Encounter' was partly filmed in the town just after the end of the war in Europe. For two weeks and one night the film crew and stars including Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard made Carnforth their base, shooting some of the film's most moving moments on the railway station platform with the impressive station clock providing a memorable backdrop. Now moves are afoot to celebrate Carnforth's part in celluloid folklore by organising a commemorative event around the 'Brief Encounter' link. According to the town's mayor, Coun Fred Morgan, Carnforth's part in one of the most popular films of all time is cause for celebration. "It should really have been commemorated before now, but 50 years on is an ideal time" he said. And taking centre stage in any events will undoubtedly be Mr Alf Bergus, of Haylot Drive, Halton, who was something of a star in the classic film. At the time Alf was a 21year old train fireman, who was used during filming, along with driver George Farrer and guard Bob Hetherington, to take Locomotive 2429 through the station creating a suitably steamy atmosphere for the steamy goings-on on the platform. Alf can be glimpsed in many of the numerous shots taken on Carnforth station and he knows better than most the interest that the film still generates. He has been interviewed by the biggest selling newspaper in Japan - where 'Brief Encounter' is one of their 10 most popular films of all time - and has featured on several radio programmes taking about his experiences. Alf, now aged 70, retired after 45 years on the railway in 1985. Although his career included such memorable moments as driving the Royal Train with the Queen on board he still has a special fondness for the time the film cameras came to Carnforth. Of Celia Johnson he recalls that she was "very kind, a real lady, each evening she came to the footplate to have a quiet word with us," although Trevor Howard is remembered as being "a bit reserved." Alf believes a celebration of Carnforth's significant role in the film is definitely worth serious consideration, saying: "A lot of Carnforth people at the time were hired as extras, it was a really big thing, perhaps the biggest thing that ever happened in Carnforth. "It would be a good idea for Carnforth to be remembered, there is still so much interest in the film, it is still a classic A brief encounter with cinema fame, The Visitor March 2 nd 1994
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