Wartime comes back to Brooklands

| 18 May 2012

The 1940s Relived – at Brooklands this Saturday – will pay tribute to the men, women and machines that defeated Nazi Germany as the race track and aerodrome became key to the allied war effort.

The war years meant aircraft manufacturers Vickers-Armstrong and Hawker took exclusive control of the site and, with 14,000 workers to call on, production of aircraft went into overdrive.

By the end of the war Brooklands had produced 2515 Wellington Bombers, 842 Vickers Warwicks and more than 3000 of Britain’s second great fighter – the Hawker Hurricane.

Among the wartime furniture such as the Bellman aircraft hangar, air raid shelters, pillboxes and Bofors gun towers, will be Home Guard re-enactors and ’40s military vehicles including a mobile radio shack, armoured car, Dodge ambulance, Chevrolet Staff Car and a 1942 Harley Davidson.

They’ll mix with period civilian transport from Morris Minors to Jaguar XK120s, Land-Rovers, Bentleys and Rileys. The museum’s original air raid siren will be called into action and a Vickers Viking and a Viscount – the world’s first turbine-engined airliner – will also be on display.

Trade stands will be given a vintage theme and there will be jive dancing and period music flowing through the site.

Visitors are encouraged to dress for the occasion with prizes available for the best-dressed man, woman and child and an entry discount for anyone wearing period dress. You can find out more on the Brooklands website.