They joined us for an evening of live music and entertainment on the Saturday, putting on their glad rags and enjoying a night out with the best of wartime and post-wartime entertainment. They sung along with old favourites performed by the D-Day Darlings and Bluebird Belles, and danced their socks off to the Kalamazoo Dance Band.

During the daytime, our visitors walked our historic streets of shops, houses and industrial workplaces and experienced them brought to life with reenactors, vintage vehicles, historic displays, and fascinating stories.

It was the perfect setting to get into the blitz spirit, with everything from the outbreak of World War II and the Dig For Victory and Make Do and Mend campaigns, to a celebratory street party.

Our visitors met soldiers from across the Empire, welcomed newly-arrived evacuees to the school and joined the campaigns to collect scrap metal and other waste for essential wartime recycling.

They had the opportunity to learn how to protect the nation and train for the Home Guard, practice for an air raid with a resident ARP Warden and try out some of the military looks in our brand-new recreation of Langer’s Army & Navy Stores.