Brandon, Suffolk

The town is almost entirely surrounded by Thetford Forest. Best known throughout the ages for its flint industry, Brandon was also one of the Brecks-area towns where soldiers trained during World Wars I and II. The town has had a sizeable Polish population since the end of the Second World War, when Polish Allied soldiers were resettled under the Polish Resettlement Act of 1947. Brandon, likely "hill where broom grows", has been variously referred to as Brandona, Braundon, Brandones Ferye, Brandon Ferry, Brand, and Bromdum throughout history. The earliest known spelling was in the 11th century when the town, gradually expanding up and along the rising ground of the river valley, was called Bromdun. The town was originally developed as a crossing point for the Little Ouse River. From prehistoric times the area was mined for flint as can be seen at Grime's Graves, a Neolithic flint mining complex.