Stoke Bruerne Canal Museum goes to war!
“Don’t you know there’s a war on?” This will be the clarion call at Stoke Bruerne over the weekend of 2-4 October when a 'Village at War' event will take villagers and visitors alike back to the 1940s.
Apart from narrowboats of wartime vintage, military vehicles will be on display, the Home Guard will be patrolling the area (so “don’t tell him your name, Pike!”), and many of the ladies will be wearing their best party frocks when taking to the floor for a tea dance. It is even rumoured the Waterways Museum’s tea room will be transformed and renamed Café René where you will be greeted with a warm “good moaning” and you might spot someone from ‘Allo ‘Allo (John D. Collins AKA Flt Lt Carstairs). Rene (AKA Museum Manager David Henderson), is allowing his cafe to be used as the local rendezvous of the Free French Forces (Vive de Gaulle!) and on Saturday you can enjoy listening to wartime songs from Andy Collier. David Blagrove, Chairman of the Friends of the National Waterways Museum, organisers of the event, said: ”It will be a real village affair with the efforts of local people being augmented by re-enactors from all parts of the country.” Special car parks are being set up to cater for the expected mass arrival of evacuees who have obtained supplies of black market petrol for the occasion! On arrival visitors will be issued with permits in return for a fixed admission charge of £5 per person (children under 16 free with adult) which includes parking. If you’ve successfully negotiated the port defences and are coming by boat, permits are £7.50 including the skipper with additional passes at £2 per crew member. Other things to watch out for around the village will include an unexploded bomb, field camp hospital, wartime provisions, tombola, Auxillary Fire Service re-enactments, the American Allies, Pitsford Home Guard parade and Allied Assortment, large scale remote control tanks, vintage bicycles, 1940s memorabilia and Churchill. Look out for the Spiv selling his “black market goods” and the policeman attempting to catch him out. There will also be a Canals at War exhibition in the museum, static model aircraft and boat displays, The fantastic Lola Lamour will be singing songs of the era, the National Fire Service will be re-united with narrowboats to give a warime demo of fire fighting in the Port of London and Forever Forties will be re-enacting a Womens Land Army diorama. Keep your eyes peeled for the hurricane flying display on Sunday (subject to weather) – and keep your ears cocked at all times for air raid siren alerts. If you get low on rations – We’ll Eat Again will be on hand to proved that Spam breakfast or lunch. The main Saturday evening event will be a 1940s dance led by Sticky Wicket Swing Band with Serena Howard-Douglas at nearby Roade Community Centre, with supper thrown in and DJ JP Swing playing the very best of 1940's swing music. (Tickets to be bought in advance, £15 per person). Transport will be available from Stoke Bruerne and Shutlanger. The weekend gets into the wartime spirit with a 1940s sing-a-long in The Boat Inn on Friday night.
Further details and dance/supper tickets will be available from the Waterways Museum on 01604 862229. Alternatively booking forms can be downloaded from www.friendsofcanalmuseum.org.uk
The event is organised by the Friends of the National Waterways Museum in partnership with the National Waterways Museum Stoke Bruerne and the local community to raise awareness of the Museum and all that the canalside village has to offer. Ends Notes for Editors:
The Friends of the National Waterways Museum, Stoke Bruerne The Friends of the National Waterways Museum, Stoke Bruerne are a local community group established after a public meeting in March 2006 to offer direct support to, and supplement the work of, the museum through volunteer activity and fundraising.
Contact: Lynda Payton 07885 190444
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