BEXLEY: Forties Festival revives the wartime spirit - picture special (From News Shopper)

BEXLEY: Forties Festival revives the wartime spirit - picture special

1:08pm Wednesday 2nd June 2010 in Bexley

A DIP into Bexley’s wartime history proved a huge hit with the public who flocked to Bexley Heritage Trust’s Forties Festival.

For two years during the Second World War, Hall Place in Bourne Road, Bexley, was home to a group of American code breakers.

See more pictures from Bexley Forties Festival

The festival’s Operation Ultra tours of the house about its secret wartime history were hugely oversubscribed, with the curator Hannah Kay taking tour groups of up to 50 people at a time.

Another success was the Dig for Victory Garden which stirred so many memories, it remained in the Central Courtyard for an extra week.

Professional dancers, the Cinque Ports Lindy Hoppers, packed the Great Hall for every demonstration and persuaded dozens of people to join in and perople were fascinated by the demonstrations of 1940s store cupboard remedies for common aches and pains.

In addition there were vintage wartime vehicles, re-enactors and lots of other attractions Many of the visitors added to the atmosphere by wearing their own 1940s-style clothes.

There were token prizes of a selection of war time-themed prizes including books CDs and toys all wrapped with brown paper and string.

Winners were best dressed man, Michael Monday; best dressed woman, grandmother, mother and daughter trio Lyn Burgess, Kit Allen and Beth Valentine, and best dressed child, brothers Ethan and Joel Constantinou.

The evening swing dance sold out and carried on for more than an hour after the scheduled finish.