Don't Tell Him Your Name, Pike!

It was the 1940’s War Weekend at Wansford, and I forsook my usual role of ticket inspector in order to carry out a secret assignment under cover.  Away went my TTI uniform and out came the pinstripe suit and trilby that would allow me to mingle with the crowds throughout the event.  Well, a man has to earn a crust, and with a supply of knocked off ration cards, petrol coupons, cigarettes and the finest line in ladies nylons from a source in the NAAFI, I had the opportunity to line my pockets with ill gotten gains through the black market.

As well as selling dodgy goods I was also recording the event through video and photos, for various outlets.  I began on Friday evening; this was the set-up period and everyone who arrived was greeted with entertainment in the form of a German Bier Keller night.  Karl’s Bavarian Brass provided the music and got the crowds going with thigh slapping ‘oompah’ music and singalong that seemed to create a good atmosphere.  I needed some video footage of this for the promoters of the music acts, so I wasn’t oompahing or thigh slapping myself, but it was fun to watch.

Saturday dawned after two hours sleep, as I’d popped into Spike’s studio on the way home for a quick meeting and didn’t leave until Sian had force-fed me an entire Princess cake.  Not that I took much forcing, and I hadn’t had any dinner …

My pre-dawn run to Wansford was promising with clear blue skies that pretty much lasted all day; a huge bonus for an outdoor photography event!  I took in one of Jayne’s full English breakfasts to set myself up for the day ahead before starting filming.  The café crew had outfitted themselves in dungarees as land girls; it was great to see everyone getting into the atmosphere of the occasion.

The railway was using two rakes of stock for the busy weekend; a British set of Mk1 coaches hauled by the 4F, plus the European rake with the Polish PKP tank loco.  This enabled a number of scenarios to be played out over the weekend as we could represent both home and occupied Europe.  I started off with a train journey on the Mk1’s; the train had plenty of 40’s era soldiers and civilians on board who could purchase my knocked off goods and then pose for pictures.  As the train neared Ferry Meadows a contingent of British soldiers came along checking the ID cards of passengers.  They came into my coach, and seemed to find an issue with a well-dressed man.  After some deliberation he was questioned before being manhandled into the Guard’s van.  On arrival at Peterborough he was found to be a spy after some ‘robust’ questioning on the platform, which created an interesting cameo scene!

I returned to Wansford for one of the highlights of the day; a fierce gun battle that recreated events that took place in the assault on Arnhem in 1944 as part of Operation Market Garden.  This event features in the film ‘A Bridge Too Far’; an extremely bloody and full frontal series of attacks by Allied Forces attempting to break through German lines and seize several strategic bridges over the Rhine.  I had a great vantage point of the battle – a benefit of working on the railway – and managed some good video clips of the intense battle.  I was better prepared after last year, and went for close ups of the action shot from a high vantage point. This enabled me to avoid filming 21st Century backgrounds and the audience as the aim of the film is to create an authentic atmosphere to the scene whenever possible.

Although I recalled how loud the gunshots and explosions were from last year, it still comes as shock when the battle gets going.  We had about 20 minutes of close up fighting as the allied soldiers attempted to take the railway yard but were driven back, slowly but surely, by the German forces.  The body count escalated on both sides and brought to home the reality of the war in sharp contrast to the various home front activities on display throughout the weekend.

With the battle over I resumed spivving and photographing cameo scenes around Wansford.  Performers were singing wartime songs on the platform, including Katie Spitfire and The Forces Sweethearts, and that provided a pleasant soundtrack to work with on the station.  Other activities included sales stands with clothing and memorabilia, wartime food in the café and various displays of vehicles, command posts, tank rides and a vintage bus service to Sacrewell Farm.

By now it was time to proceed to my next observation post – the signalbox.  The area around the River Nene rail bridge was now France, and the resistance had set up a plot to blow up the bridge as the train approached.  The small team laid charges, but were thwarted by a German patrol.  The train (the European set) was halted on the bridge, and as the troops on board alighted to see what was wrong they were ambushed by concealed allied troops.  All hell broke loose, and in the melee the resistance managed to detonate the explosives on the bridge.  Intense fighting took place under the smoke screen before the Germans regained control of the situation.

After the battle the soldiers could chill out in the traditional manner – go down the pub!  They had a special Routemaster bus laid on for them and were kind enough to welcome me onboard for a great set of photos (going out) and video on their return a couple of well-oiled hours later on!  Quite what the regulars at Wansford village made of a busload of armed troops turning up for a pint or two is not yet known …

The day didn’t end there by a long chalk; in the evening I was filming The Spitfire Ball; a real 1940’s dance with live performances from the excellent Katie Spitfire, Forces Sweethearts and compered by the witty cockney banter of Keith Cross.  During the interval, swing DJ ‘The Professor’ kept the music and dancing going with bomb songs and boogie-woogie music (it says here).  The show ended at 11pm with a firework display that I managed to catch – just!  My memory card ran out minutes before final burst, but never mind, I had plenty of material to get to work with.

So, back to Grantham for some much needed sleep.  I wish!  Before bedtime it was upload time for the video and photos that took ages to transfer across.  Then respond to the day’s banter about the event on Facebook … another late night!

Events on Sunday were broadly similar, but with an interesting and glamorous twist.  I brought Sian and Spike down for the day, and Sian looked absolutely stunning in her 40’s outfit.  In the true spirit of wartime make do and mend, she’d fashioned together her outfit from what was available the night before, added subtle accessories and borrowed a hat to set off the effect.  Using make up techniques and bright lipstick from the period, Sian turned heads and lenses all day long.  Although she wasn’t working as a model as such – it was her day off as she was keen to constantly remind me – we created some set pieces that we’d planned beforehand – and they worked brilliantly.  Naturally I wanted some sexy poses with the loco, and the all-important waving her lover off on the train as he went to war.

The battle scene in the yard followed as it had done on Saturday, before a first time event for the war weekend – Miss Peterborough 1940’s.  I’d been asked to officiate at the contest as photographer, and who’s going to turn down a job like that?  Sadly the compere didn’t turn up as planned, but it’s wartime and so the show must go on!  A stand in hastily took over, and the 11 ladies did their stuff and answered a couple of questions before I took their pictures and the next contestant came on.  

For the first time in my photographer’s life, I was actually nervous about my role!  It’s a daunting task taking official pictures for somebody else, because they have to be top-notch quality and I wanted to do the girls justice.  It wasn’t the contestants themselves who put me on edge – they were all charming girls.  The audience was also fine – what put me off was the bloody professional photographers with huge paparazzi lenses and grumpy faces who were clearly annoyed that I’d got this gig.  Most sat in the front row of the audience, and their under the breath comments and remarks didn’t exactly help as I tried to pose each girl and take a clear shot in low light.  I know this for a fact, because one of them was kind enough to tell me later on that he is the best re-enactment photographer around and has the biggest camera to prove it.  He travels all round the country photographing these events, and modestly assured me that his pictures were better than everyone else’s because … yadder, yadder, yadder.  I really needed that just before doing my first ever official gig, thanks a lot mate.  And why do you need a 1200mm zoom lens to photograph a girl standing less than 20 feet from the audience?  You could photograph every individual hair on her head with that – creepy…

Fortunately most of my pictures seem to be okay, which is a huge relief.  The group shots were tricky, as I had no idea what was happening.  The organiser kept adding various people into the group so that it got larger and larger, meaning that I had to arrange them to create an artistic group rather than the overcrowded tube train look that I started with.  We got there in the end, and it gave me a taste of what wedding photographers have to cope with!  They were lovely people to work with; I wish I could have had more time to create some really great group shots and portraits, preferably without the backchat from the audience as I mentioned.  

Sian had entered the contest, and although she sadly didn’t win, she enjoyed herself a lot and it gave her a new experience to try out.  She was the first girl to be called up and coped well with nerves as it’s not easy getting up in front of a marquee full of people.  I was really proud of her.  The judges couldn’t decide on a winner, so chose to split first place between two of the contestants, which I thought was very fair.  There was a cash first prize, but the highlight is to attend a 1940’s photoshoot at Duxford Air Museum in order to create a calendar.  And guess who’s been asked to do that job?  I hope to have more on that exciting opportunity in the future.

Time was not on our side at this point, however, as the bridge battle was about to commence and I had to free up the participants to go to war.  We watched from the signalbox although this time I was taking stills instead of video.  It meant shooting through glass, as some of the 39 – 45 Living History Society were filming through the open window and as I’d had it to myself on Saturday it was the chivalrous thing to do.  Despite this, I got some rather good shots in.

The end of the battle signalled the wind down of the weekend, and people began to pack up and drift away.  But there was still time for one last shoot.  Spike suggested that I get arrested by some Germans and create a scene of my own!  It was easy enough to find a patrol of soldiers, and as the station was nearly empty, we could film without interruption.  I boarded the European coaches and alighted from the last coach.  A German patrol demanded to see my papers and the contents of my suitcase.  They weren’t satisfied, so I was arrested at gunpoint and led down the platform with hands up while being barked at in German.  It attracted much attention from the remaining audience and Spike took a great set of pictures.

And there ended the day.  It was exhausting but great fun and the people were fantastic.  I have hundreds of pictures, and a huge thanks to everyone who posed for them.  People are used to being photographed at these events, but then they never get to see their photos unless they stumble across them by accident.  My approach is a simple one based on nothing more than good manners.  Ask people if they mind the picture being taken; create a scene and shoot.  I give them a card with the gallery address so they can view it as part of the set, and they can request a high-res copy by email.  Everyone I spoke to really appreciated this; most of them told me they never get to see their own photos, which is a pity given the amount of trouble they go to dress up and perform throughout the day.  A little bit of manners goes an awful long way in creating goodwill I have discovered.

The battle scenes and military displays were all created and performed by members of The 39 – 45 Living History Society.  It is important to explain that they do not in any way glorify war.  Re-enactments are well-researched events based on actual conflicts during World War 2, and bring to life in dramatic form the reality of armed combat in difficult circumstances.

Evening entertainment and the beauty Contest was provided by More Muzic, and featured Katy Spitfire; The Forces Sweethearts; Keith Cross and The Professor.  

The 1940’s Event will return to Wansford next year.  In the meantime, the photos will be posted to my Living History Gallery in due course, with video to follow.  Now I have to go and edit some pictures …

Keep The Home Fires Burning

The photos from my Easter visit to the 1940’s Home Front event at Crich are now uploaded.  Rather than photograph a 1940’s event in the present day, I wanted to assemble an album of images depicting wartime life as if I had actually been there at the time – which, contrary to appearances, I was not.  At least, I don’t think I was.

Photographing early in the day was quite straightforward as the majority of people at opening time were in period dress, but as the morning wore on the number of present-day people steadily increased, and crept into view with maddening frequency.  This naturally made taking authentic shots more tricky, particularly as the people who did make it into view tended to be the – ah – less photogenic members of society.  In most cases some judicious cropping or minor editing got rid of the problem, and a large number of pictures had to be dumped altogether.  What remains is a reflection of life in the UK in a typical town and surrounding countryside.

The album clearly shows the amount of hard work and dedication that goes into creating these events.  Many pictures were un-posed, fly-on-the-wall type shots to capture people simply going about their business, chatting, working or troops in training.  The trams and buildings helped create the illusion and set the scene for most photos.  I edited the whole set in black and white to give it a period feel, which also disguised some contemporary items that couldn’t be removed from otherwise pleasing images.  The album may be seen here.

Psst - Wanna Buy Some Nylons?

Like most people across the UK during the Easter break, I hauled my Black & Decker drill out of the pit of Hades beneath the stairs.  Unlike everybody else, however, I took mine for a day out to a tram museum.  No, I haven’t been sniffing anything other than Iveco exhaust fumes lately, and I did have a good reason for this unexpected situation.

Sunday was the 1940’s Gala at Crich Tramway Museum in Derbyshire, and having previously stumbled across such an event last September at The Nene Valley Railway (story here), I particularly wanted to pay a visit.  The Crich event would be different to that held at the Nene Valley where the emphasis was on battles fought between re-enactors.  Here the theme was ‘The Home Front’, a recreation of life in England during the Second World War.

London Transport E1 tram passes troops and civilians outside the Red Lion.  

This scene epitomises 1940's Britain on The Home Front.

I’d noticed at the NV that a large number of people, not just the military re-enactors, came in period costume and got into the spirit of the occasion.  Thus it was that I decided that I too would go along in style; blend in and actually take part in the event.  I only stumbled across the Crich event online during Saturday, which entailed a bit of a rush to get ready.  My chosen guise was a blackmarket spiv character, inspired by Private Joe Walker of Dad’s Army fame.  I required a 40’s style suit with pale pinstripe and wide lapels – not a problem as the frequency with which I update my wardrobe ensured that I had one hanging up already.  A trilby hat was essential; after trawling through nine charity shops in Grantham the PDSA came up trumps with a black one which was too small (or my head was too big – say it, I won’t take umbrage) but it was that or nothing.  I took it.  There wasn’t an old battered suitcase to be found for love, money or even by bribing my MP – but this event was about the years of make do, mend and improvise, so that’s what I did.  By making my electric drill homeless for the day, I had a black plastic case that I disguised a bit by downloading some luggage stickers and labels from the net and plastering them over the case.  It wasn’t much, but better than turning up with my Chinese made backpack – all those years of Blue Peter finally coming up trumps.

An established spiv displays 'gifts for the ladies' to the Officers on leave.

At Crich itself the re-enactors were out in force with plenty of military uniforms in evidence, backed up by a large contingent of civilians from all walks of life and it really brought the street scene alive.  Displays of army camps, military vehicles, an ARP post and a Home Guard Signing-on station were just a few of the attractions that combined with the backdated street scene and the trams (themselves blacked out for wartime regulations) added a feeling of authenticity to the day.  

The set pieces were well researched and recreated with meticulous attention to detail.

I decided not to film as there wasn’t really a theme that would translate to movie format particularly well – and despite the fantastic costumes and scenes, there were far too many 21st Century people getting in shot.  Instead, I went purely for still photographs, aiming to capture, by and large, small cameo scenes of 1940’s life.  Some shots were posed on request (and every single person approached was extremely helpful with this) whilst others were taken fly-on-the-wall style to catch real life unguarded scenes.

I also became aware during the day that people were photographing me – a strange feeling.  After years of doing the photography, I was accustomed to ducking out of the way when people pointed cameras in my direction, as they usually want to get a shot of what I’m standing in front of!  This is the first time I’ve actually been the subject – and like my subjects, the photographers just wanted to capture me being Joe Walker going about my business rather than posing specifically for the shots.  Of course, I duly explained that as a dodgy spiv, if anyone pointed a camera at me then I’d be out of there sharpish, Guv!

You're nicked mate!

This led to the realisation that if people thought I was a spiv, then best get into character and start being a spiv with other re-enactors.  That opened up plenty of doors, I have to say.  First call was to the trade stalls, where I purchased a new trilby of a size which could accommodate my head (note careful phrasing) and a genuine battered suitcase for a mere £12 – to which I transferred my labels from the Black & Decker case.  I now felt much more in character, and immediately went off to sell nylons to the ladies.  This went down extremely well and caused much amusement, which surprised me, because when I ask girls about their lingerie requirements in Asda, I get a slap.  Strange world.

My new case with labels attached - this looked and felt the part.  The owner of the motorbike

allowed me use it as a prop because I gave him some petrol rations, nudge, nudge - say no more.

My first customers.

As the day progressed I got more involved with the atmosphere, and although the event was held at the Tramway Museum I actually only rode one tram.  It was one that I had my eye on, London Transport car 331.  It may have begun life as a soft southerner, but ended its days as hard-as-nails Sunderland bogie car 100.  So why did I feel the need to travel on it?  Well, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to ride on another tram that me Mam (as we say up north) had gone to school in.  Obviously.

Riding Sunderland trams has become a family tradition.

Overall it was a fantastic day and the actor in me, which has lain dormant ever since I was cast in the role of ‘The Moon’ for a St Nicholas Youth Club play (please don’t ask) revelled at the chance of playing a character.  I’d recommend visiting a re-enactment event to anyone who has an interest in history, particularly if you fancy get involved along the way.  Just don’t forget your Black & Decker case – but remember to take the drill out first!!

Only another four of me five a day to go...

Preparing for a drill (but not a Black & Decker!)

A Bridge Too Far

When I’ve been making films in the past, I’ve always had a vision about how the story would work, and accordingly I set out with a clear idea as to the sort of scenes I need to capture. With this war film, things were very different. I had no idea as to what to expect, or what would work … or not. I simply went to the Nene Valley to enjoy the day, and film as many activities as possible, then sort the footage out later on. So what did I end up with?

Well, the day itself was great with plenty to see and do. The battle re-enactments were superb to watch and a great visual spectacle. But, of course, what the eye sees and the camera sees are two very different things indeed. The eye takes in the costumes, the posters, signage and vehicles - and in the battle scenes, the fast moving action during combat. The camera, however, goes beyond that – and finds a man in a tracksuit pushing a baby buggy past a group of soldiers, diesel locomotives at one end of the yard during the battle and a crowd of spectators at the other end!

The footage was sorted out, and the worst clips were discarded. This left me with quite a bit of material to work with, but no real idea as to how to create some sort of story. However, the one theme running throughout the day was the railway, so eventually I came up with a short four-part storyboard:

Introduction – a clip from a Winston Churchill speech, followed by opening scene setting with various clips depicting the atmosphere of the 1940’s at home. Quite upbeat, using the well-known Dad’s Army theme to set the tone.

Off to War – Rousing marching music from A Bridge Too Far accompanies the idea of the soldiers leaving home as the train arrives to take them off to battle.

The Battles – The sombre theme from Where Eagles Dare was used for the fighting scenes, overlaid onto the original audio sequence of the battles. Very little Wansford Yard footage was suitable for use here, but there are some nice close ups of the action. The fight on the bridge is more effective; this was filmed as a long continuous segment some 20 minutes long and I used the opening sequences of the train arriving and the attack.

Conclusion – The film is rounded off with Fiona Harrison performing an ENSA concert, while troops and civilians mingle on the station prior to the final cut of the train steaming away. The song needs no introduction, and Vera Lynn sings it here. I’d have liked to use the audio track from the day as performed by Fiona Harrison, but the quality of the audio was poor due to all the background noise being included. I don’t mind bombs, bullets and hissing boilers, but mobile phones just don’t cut it.

From a technical point of view, this film doesn’t match Big River or The Jarrow Song. I was filming from a fly-on-the-wall perspective, and shooting scenes as they happened. If things went wrong, no chance of a several re-takes to get it right. I edited in black and white, partly for atmosphere and partly to hide some 21st Century distractions that couldn’t be edited out! However, it’s a nice memory of an interesting day, and if any of the participants view it, I hope they feel that they have been done justice. The film certainly shows the effort put into the costumes and props by those who attended, and who helped, albeit unknowingly for the most part, create this project.

Here are some of the more quaint outtakes from the day:

This image might not actually be incorrect – there’s every chance that a letter
posted in 1943 was delivered in 2003 by the Royal Mail TPO set in the background.

Fiona Harrison performing ‘There’ll Always be a Deltic in England’.

Dancing the Large Logo Lindy Hop in ’37. Did you see what I did there? This was a great bit of spontaneous dancing, and no matter where I filmed from, something went wrong. In the end, I used the best bit of footage I had, but the 37 still crept in.

Battle of Wansford, German end. The assembled crowd
rather detract from the overall effect of a fierce gun battle.

My favourite outtake: Aside from the parked up diesel locos, the highlight
is the happy smiling brakevan watching proceedings – I swear it winked at me.

More information about the 39-45 Living History Society and Fiona Harrison may be gleaned from their respective websites.

Some nicely filmed footage of the Battle of Wansford Yard may be seen here, which has some excellent close-ups from the combat scenes.

The Battle of The Bridge may also be seen from a different perspective here, as this good quality film was shot from the signalbox. It is interesting to watch this piece, as the whole story can now be seen from both sides. If you look closely at (1 min 07 ) on this film, you can see Grumpy Git in person! I’m to the right of the bridge, in the field next to the trees – always a good place to be when bullets start flying.

Oh What a Lovely War

On Saturday I found myself heading once again for the Nene Valley Railway – you might think I’d have had enough by now, but the NVR keep on putting on different and exciting events that deserve support. This weekend was loosely termed as a 1940’s event, but themed largely around the war years. The programme was interesting; ENSA style performances on the station platform at Wansford, topical sales stands and food in the café, battle re-enactments at Wansford, vehicles on display and a general dressing up was encouraged. I felt that this was worth visiting, and went with the aim of hopefully being able to create a film from the day.


I was surprised at how many people dressed up in period costume; not just expected military uniforms for the re-enactors, but civilians as well – whole families in many cases. Almost everybody was happy to be filmed, and provide atmosphere to the planned film. ENSA singing performances were held all day with various singers; headlining was Fiona Harrison who delivered three completely different and thoroughly enjoyable sets throughout the day.


The train in use was favourite 73050 City of Peterborough with the crimson and cream MK1 set. This would make a nice backdrop to the station scenes as the soldiers went off to war.


I’ve mentioned in previous posts that the NVR has a good collection of foreign rolling stock, including a 5-car set of olive green DSB coaches, plus a good fleet of Wagon Lit coaches. I rather thought that they missed an opportunity by not using these during the weekend to create the European aspect of the war. I wasn’t overly impressed with the bright red rake of Royal Mail parcels vans parked up in Wansford Station either as they spoilt the 1940’s image so carefully recreated elsewhere. They could easily have been moved up to the coach siding near the tunnel and left the station clear for the events of the day. I don’t know who was in charge of that part of the operation, but I do know that they are a stupid boy!


Highlight of the day was the two battle recreations. The first was held in Wansford Yard; this is adjacent to the station so there was good visibility for spectators. The battle was a re-enactment of an actual battle that took place during the assault on the bridge at Arnhem (later filmed as A Bridge Too Far). The battle was realistic with plenty of loud bangs, gunfights, mortar bombs and explosions that blew eardrums inside out. One quaint point was that the battle was due to start at midday, but the incoming train was delayed, and of course many passengers would want to see it. This led to the unusual tannoy announcement, “Owing to the late arrival of the incoming train from Peterborough, the start of the war will delayed by ten minutes.” This could actually be the way forward for world peace – get Notwork Rail to organise the next war. With everyone taking part stuck at Crewe because of over running engineering work, they’ll be too busy filling out compensation claim forms to worry about blowing each other up. Thus, a lasting peace will prevail – problem solved.


I’d got chatting to a bloke who visits many of these wartime re-enactions, and he told me that the second battle usually took place on the bridge at Wansford, where the railway crosses the river. It was dramatic, but viewing was restricted as the picnic area that looks onto the bridge gets very crowded and a good view is restricted. Well, he found the right person to be nice to, because with all my exploits on the NVR lately, I know my vantage points. We crossed the bridge and went into the fields – these give a fantastic position to get a good pan of the arriving train, and thus the bridge. Last year the enactment had been about the British forces attacking a German platoon that were attempting to blow the bridge up. This year was expected to be the same, so I set up ready to photograph the arriving train and then film the battle afterwards. However, things were different, and a new story had been planned. As the train approached the bridge, German soldiers stopped it. Then, from the first coach, a female resistance fighter jumped off and attempted to escape. She was challenged and shot by the Germans, which provoked a fierce gun battle from Allied Forces who were under the bridge, and who swarmed up the stairway to attack.




Further forces materialised on both sides of the train, and in the battle gradually drove the Germans back. It was an exciting spectacle, and from our grandstand viewpoint we had an excellent side-on view of all the action, which was perfect for filming. It just demonstrates how a quick and friendly chat can make such a difference to such an occasion.


Overall, it was a thoroughly enjoyable event; well planned and executed, and I’d recommend visiting a similar such event in the future.

All pictures taken from screengrabs of video shot on the day.