Pearly Kings and Queens join Bombsite Urchins and ‘Spivs’ at Salute to the ‘40s Wartime Weekend
11th September 2008
Salute to the ‘40s returns to The Historic Dockyard Chatham on 20th and 21st September. With a reputation being quickly earned as one of the best 1940s events in the UK, this year’s Salute to the ‘40s will be bigger, louder, more active, more colourful and more entertaining than ever before.
It has just been announced that a wartime pub will be open for the weekend - complete with the Pearly Kings and Queens from London singing around the piano! Run by the Nelson Brewing Co. UK Ltd within the dockyard, the pub will be a central part of a 1940’s street scene which will also include the Kent Police Museum with police vehicles and coppers in period uniform, plus a wartime garage forecourt.
Hundreds of re-enactors will converge on The Historic Dockyard for the weekend, including British and American troops and sailors, a British Infantry Regiment complete with encampment, many civilian re-enactors portraying life on the Home Front and the Chatham and Folkestone Home Guard units portraying the men of that important organisation.
Specially set-up scenes depict an operational US Army Ordnance Depot complete with trucks, train and steam-crane, a specially built display recreating a typical ‘1940s House’; and the appearance of a fully operational ‘NAAFI Wagon’. The Historic Dockyard’s own 1940’s collection will be on show in the shape of an original underground bomb shelter in which there is a special ‘Shelter Experience’ (at an additional charge), a Bofers AA gun and towing tractor and the Second World War Destroyer HMS Cavalier with a complement of naval re-enactors, showcasing the Navy at war.
With over 730 re-enactors, 200 military and civilian vehicles, and the unique backdrop of The Historic Dockyard itself, visitors will be transported back in time as they experience a Dockyard at War.
The Historic Dockyard Events Manager Bill Fowler said “Chatham and its Dockyard were key players in Britain’s war effort from start to finish. At this event we will present The Historic Dockyard almost as a film-set. The displays here for Salute to the ‘40s are amongst the best in the country, and will include a real Second World War Air Raid Siren that will truly add to the atmosphere and possibly be heard throughout the Medway Towns!”
Music that kept up wartime morale will be on offer at five different locations in the Dockyard. At midday each day a ‘Workers Playtime’ concert will see singers and dancers and a ‘Cheeky Chappie’ comedian presenting music and humour of the period. Each afternoon one of Britain’s finest 1940s entertainers Fiona Harrison is back by popular demand to present her very special show ‘The Fleet’s in Port Again’.
Another new element to this exciting wartime weekend this year is the introduction of a Blitz Ball on the Saturday evening. Featuring a live Big Band and a very special ‘Stars & Stripes’ Show by Fiona Harrison. The Blitz Ball will be held in the amazing No. 3 Covered Slip rekindling all the special memories of wartime dances held in aircraft hangers and factories up and down the country. Tickets priced at £12.50 are selling fast from the Dockyard Ticket Office on 01634 823826.
Bill Fowler added “Salute to the ‘40s is not intended as a glorification of war. It is a tribute to the ordinary men, women and children who pulled together for six long years of hard slog until the ultimate victory was won. During those six years those people experienced the heights of human emotion, and the country was left with the utmost respect for them, and an enduring interest in that period. Although we hope visitors to the event have an entertaining and fun time, we also hope they will take home a much greater understanding of the unique sacrifices made by the nation.”
Special Event entry prices apply and discounts will apply to 12 month ticket holders. Details can be found at www.thedockyard.co.uk.