Salute the 1940s at The Historic Dockyard Chatham

Swing bands, tea rooms and destroyers - turn the clock back to the dramatic events of the summer of 1940 at The Historic Dockyard Chatham in Kent.
 
The Dockyard’s annual ‘Salute to the 40s’ festival (18 and 19 September) will draw its inspiration from 1940  - the year of Dunkirk and the Battle of Britain  -  marking the 70th anniversary of these momentous times.
 
World War II destroyer HMS Cavalier will recreate what Churchill described as ‘the miracle of Dunkirk’, using pyrotechnic displays and sound effects to representing a ship rescuing British troops.  The paddle steamer Kingswear Castle, herself a war veteran, will offer visitors a ‘Dunkirk Paddle Steamer Trip’ on the River Medway.
 
Also on display will be the panel boxes and funnel of the Medway Queen, one of the many thousands of civilian ‘little ships’ which crossed the Channel to assist with the heroic evacuation from the Normandy beaches.
 
A selection of 1940s-style artists will be performing at the event on a typical wartime ‘back of a lorry’ stage, recognising the vital role entertainment played in maintaining morale during the war years, while the Dockyard’s Wheelwrights Restaurant and Commissioner’s House will be transformed respectively into a typical wartime British restaurant and a period Lyons tea room.
 
Full-size replica wartime fighter aircraft will be on display, while other period experiences include bomb disposal displays and a 1940s street market complete with spivs and black market goods.  Fortunately the Dockyard Home Guard will also be on hand to keep order! A parade of military vehicles will bring each day to a close.
 
‘Salute to the 40s’ takes place at The Historic Dockyard Chatham, a superbly preserved naval dockyard which is little changed from the war years  -  including original bomb damage inflicted by the Luftwaffe.
 
Where: The Historic Dockyard Chatham
When: Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th September
Price:  A one-day event ticket is priced at £12.50 per adult.

For more information on The Historic Dockyard Chatham and on this event, visit: thedockyard.co.uk

For more information on visiting South East England, including places to stay from B&Bs to luxury hotels, please see: visitsoutheastengland.com