1940s WARTIME EVENT AT GREAT CENTRAL RAILWAY 2015!

It was sunshine and sunglasses at the Great Central Railway Wartime Weekend Event !

And there was definitely an emphasis on 1940s fun and fashion at this venue with

 

 

plenty of vintage stalls, expert styling from hairdressers and (pictured below) a fashion parade.

 

There were lots of military and civilian vehicles and  displays including 1st Airborne Reconnaissance Squadron.

 







Wartime entertainment was provided by Kevin Mack and Miss Luna Nightingale and

there was a morale boosting speech from King George V1. With activities at all of the four stations and a flypast, poppy drop, and battle re-enactment, #Great Central Railway Wartime Event was a great weekend!

 



OPERATION TUTBURY CASTLE 1940s Event 2015

A medieval castle became the landscape of wartime England, with  a battle re-enactment, a flypast from a WWII plane and numerous 1940s exhibitions and displays.

1940s re-enactments included the work of the Womens Auxiliary Service (pictured)  and

Special Operations in Burma (below) and also Churchills Secret Army,

Within the walls of this 11th Century castle the re-enactors turned the clocks forward to the 1940s and we heard the sound of air raid sirens and swing music. Tutbury Castle in the 1940s# certainly drew the crowds! Another enjoyable event!

FORGE MILL NEEDLE MUSEUM REDDITCH - 1940s REMEMBERED!#

Remembering the 1940s was the theme of a wartime event held at the victorian #Forge Mill Needle Museum. Visitors were able to find out what wartime fashions were like during World War II with an authentic clothes and accessories display. She really does look 1940s doesn't she!

As well as lots of exhibitions and displays there were military and civilian vehicles with the re-enactors setting the scene,

and the songs and sounds from the 1940s, from Ruby Lamont, entertained us all.  

 

Forge Mill Needle Museum in the picturesque Arrow Valley Country Park usually gets lots of visitors and this event was no exception! It was a great 1940s day out!

 

 

CASTLE BROMWICH HALL GARDENS V.E. DAY CELEBRATION 1940S WEEKEND

Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens had all the ingredients for a great #V.E. Day celebration! Wartime music, entertainment and displays, a V.E. Day party, and there were some original ideas for themed costumes from the re-enactors.

 At the entrance visitors were greeted by comedy duo Laurel and Hardy, who were happy to pose for lots of photos.  In the grounds of #Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens a prisoner of war was busy working. A glamourous beauty parlour set the scene for creating a 1940s hairstyle  and there were lots of vintage shopping stalls for the enthusiasts.

 Singer Kevin Mack re-created the sounds of the 1940s and some magical memories and also kept us informed about the imminent fly past from a World War II Dakota.

 The Dakota had flown with 233 squadron and got her operational stripes shortly before D Day. A fitting tribute for V. E. Day, as close to Castle Bromwich Hall was the Aerodrome and factory where the Spitfire was manufactured. This was a very successful and entertaining day at Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens!

HADEN HILL V E DAY!

The war was over! Everyone was happy, and in 1945 #V E Day celebrations were held all over the country,  including Haden Hill House in the West Midlands.

 70 years later this lovely Victorian house and parkland celebrated again with patriotic red, white and blue bunting, entertainment, and WWII re-enactments.

Wartime rations were available for visitors including corned beef hash and jelly and "cream". The Home Front was still being encouraged to"Dig for Victory", (rationing was to continue for some years after the war) and plants and flowers were on sale.

Vintage and military vehicles were on display and a tea wagon provided a welcome wartime cuppa! Waving flags and wearing patriotic colours the re-enactors, and the visitors, re-visited the mood of Victory in Europe day and the 1940s. #Haden Hill re-captured the spirit of the occasion. It was a great day!

Four Ashes in the Forties - #V E Day!

Wartime romance was in the air at this year's 1940s SSFA charity event at #Four Ashes. With a marriage proposal, on stage (she accepted!), two re-enactors also received a congratulatory speech from King George V1.

And romance wasn't the only thing in the air! An impressive low level fly past by a Douglas DC3 Dakota delighted the crowds.

On Sunday morning there was a Victory in Europe Day service and parade with a moving "legacy of peace" sermon from Padre Eric.

There were lots of exhibitions, displays, military and civilian vehicles, vintage stalls and of course the WWII re-enactors and a lovely sunny day helped make this event an enjoyable occasion.

Toddington Steam Railway - Wartime in the Cotswolds April 2015

The sound of steam trains and air raid sirens filled the air at #Toddington Steam Railway station and the re-enactors turned up and turned back time to re-create the sights of the 1940's.

 There was also an ARP Post and 1940's beauty salon and Colwell Art Jazz Ensemble put us "In The Mood" with Glen Miller's big band sound.  A marquee provided a popular shopping opportunity, with many stalls dedicated to 1940s fashion and memorabilia.

At Winchcombe Station the activities continued with an Air Raid Shelter display and the Worcestershire Home Guard keeping an eye on the proceedings, checking and stamping WWII ID cards!

With rides on the steam trains, exhibitions, events and re-enactments at the four stations that make up the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway, and also a  fly past from a Spitfire on Sunday, Toddington was a great start to the re-enactment season!

What made it even more special was my chance encounter with a Bletchley Park Veteran!  During a journey from Winchcombe to Toddington, I met David who was at Bletchley Park during WWII. Together with engineer Tommy Flowers, David worked on  Colossus, used to decrypt the Lorenze messages used by German High Command. Many consider this to be the start of the computer age. "It was my job to keep Colossus going", David told me. I shall be returning to this story, later in more depth- such an interesting piece of history, and an amazing coincidence!