Travel back in time for wartime weekend (From Gazette & Herald)

Travel back in time for wartime weekend

PICKERING will be turning the clock back 60 years this weekend when it stages its fourth annual wartime weekend.

Run by the North York Moors Railway, this year's event has been named "Operation Othello" and will be the biggest festival yet say the organisers.

It runs from Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon and, in addition to being centred on Pickering, it will also take in the North Yorkshire Moors Railway stations at Grosmont, Goathland, Levisham and Pickering.

Several events will be focused on the Market Place, where the town's Mayor, Coun Natalie Warriner, will take the salute at a march past of old soldiers at noon on Saturday.

Geoff Pearson, one of the key organisers, said: "True to our tradition of always moving forward, we have some exciting new scenarios while keeping the best of the past events. Each year, the involvement of local organisations gets bigger and better which makes the overall event more exciting for everyone."

He said that this year's festival would have additional bands, heavy horses helping the Land Army girls at Goathland, and a static demonstration marquee at Pickering.

Among the many highlights will be the recreating of an air-raid at Pickering Station by 1940s Pick 'N'Mix, a group which forms an air-raid protection unit that will demonstrate the work done by the Civil Defence in the Second World War.

The stations on the moors line will be decked out in posters, and there will be air-raid shelters, a WVS canteen, sandbags, and staff will be donning period costumes.

Also featuring will be ENSA (a wartime services entertainment unit), entertainers, bands and wartime revues, and dances on the Friday and Saturday nights.

"In October 1943, the period we have chosen, the Pickering area was heavily used for training of British and Allied forces for the invasion of 'Fortress Europe' - which became known as D-Day," said Mr Pearson.

Programme of events.

PICKERING

Friday

Noon - official opening and flag raising ceremony at Pickering Station.

Saturday

10.30 Air raid.

12.20 ENSA Troop play in the entertainment area marquee.

15.20 Sing-along.

16.30 Air raid.

Sunday

0800 Holy Communion with Wartime weekenders at Pickering Parish Church.

10.30 Act of remembrance and wreath-laying, station memorial.

10.45 Air-raid followed by ENSA show.

Other entertainment will include Pickering Musical Society's "You Must Remember This" at the Kirk Theatre, a 40s band concert and supper dance with Kirkbymoorside Town Brass Band at Pickering Memorial Hall, a military market in the Market Place, and screenings of the 1942 wartime classic film Went The Day Well at the Castle Cinema.

GOATHLAND

At Goathland station there will be heavy horse demonstration on Saturday and Sunday, troop activities and a Home Guard rifle drill.

GROSMONT

General Bernard Montgomery will inspect US forces at Grosmont station where there will also be re-enactments of an air-raid and ENSA entertainment

LEVISHAM

Levisham Station will have fire fighting demonstrations, and Royal Engineers will be simulating the location of several unexploded bombs.

Updated: 10:23 Wednesday, October 16, 2002