In festive mood

Haworth is a magnet for tourists as a result of its old-fashioned charm and the important Brontë connection. During the year, it holds several themed weekends and the bunting was still flying after the recent 1940s Weekend.  (Click the 1940s label below to see pictures I took at the 1940s weekend in 2012.) The Black Bull pub has been there since Victorian times and was a frequent haunt of Branwell Brontë.

Come on...!

I'm thinking I might print this out and put it on my desk at work.  We could do with a bit of this wartime spirit there!  There will be plenty of patriotic bunting around next weekend though, as we celebrate Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee.  She's given us an extra day off work.  God Save the Queen!

Kiss (Haworth 40s weekend)

Every nice girl loves a sailor soldier.....

Evacuees (Haworth 1940s weekend)

It's well known that during WWII some 2 million children were evacuated in a very short time from London and other major cities to lodge with families in more rural parts of Britain, considered to be 'safer' from enemy attack. On arrival in rural villages they were simply lined up and billeting officers invited potential hosts to take their pick! Many brothers, sisters and friends were separated.

The children of Haworth re-enacted this at the weekend, arriving at Haworth station by steam train and being bussed (on a vintage coach) up to the village to be collected by the villagers.  They all had their gas masks in little cardboard boxes, a small bag of clothes and possessions and a label with a number.  

All rather charming in the 21st century but in reality in the 1940s, it was for many evacuees an unhappy and frightening period in their lives - and a time of desperate anxiety for their parents left behind in the cities.

A couple of spivs (Haworth 40s weekend)

No wartime re-enactment would be complete, either, without a couple of spivs.  A spiv was a petty criminal who peddled stolen or black-market goods of dubious authenticity.  These two slickly dressed gents fitted the stereotype perfectly and had an amusing line in banter.  And no, I was not persuaded to buy....!

'History will be kind to me for I intend to write it' (Haworth 40s weekend)

"We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and the oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender."  Sir Winston Churchill

No prizes for guessing who this distinguished gentleman is.... but I guess no 1940s tribute would be complete without Mr Churchill.

The Home Guard (Haworth 1940s weekend)

Members of the Home Guard - 1.5 million local recruits, mainly older men ineligible for military service, whose role from 1940 -1944 was to act as a secondary defence force in the event of invasion by hostile forces.  They also carried out other essential tasks, guarding our coast, our military stores, airfields, carrying out patrols and fire-watch duties. Initially called the Local Defence Volunteers or LDV, they were much-maligned. (Look, Duck and Vanish!)  Their role has been made famous by the hugely popular TV series 'Dad's Army', portraying them as a likeable but rather inept band who get involved in some hilarious exploits in the name of civil defence. One episode (see here) has one of my favourite comedy scenes in it... ("What is your name?"   "Don't tell him, Pike!")

Haworth 1940s weekend

I went to Haworth yesterday to enjoy their annual 1940s weekend.  The whole village puts up the bunting, gets out the sandbags and dons uniform or authentic 1940s outfits to give the village a wartime feel.   Over the years the event has got bigger and better, and these days lots of the visitors turn up in costume too.  There are parades, a marching pipe band, a Spitfire fly-past by the RAF, vintage vehicles, concerts, tea dances and swing jive and lindy-hop dancing in the park.  'Sir Winston Churchill' drops in and usually makes a speech.  It has a fantastic atmosphere - great fun... though braving the crowds is not for the faint-hearted.