Fans of the Severn Valley Railway are eagerly awaiting the heritage railway’s cherished events, the Step Back to the 1940s events, which transform the Railway into a colourful musical snapshot of wartime Britain, on the weekends of 30 June and 7 July.
The SVR’s Clare Gibbard says, “2018 marks the centenary of the ending of WW1 and at Arley Station we’ll have the Cavell van on display. In 1919, this was used to bring back the body of nurse Edith Cavell from Belgium where she’d helped 200 prisoners of war escape before she was caught and executed.
“At Bewdley station, a replica of the Mk X1 Spitfire, flown by the famous James Edgar ‘Johnnie’ Johnson – the highest scoring RAF pilot to survive the war – will be on display to mark the 100th anniversary of the creation of the RAF.”
Visitors at Arley station are invited to a wartime wedding on the platform on all dates, while 1940s crooner Kevin Mack will perform nostalgic numbers as the trains steam by. Highley will see a thrilling re-enactment of a battle that took place two days after the D-Day landings when allied paratroopers and members of the French resistance have been dropped behind enemy lines. Their mission: to attack a German troop train – an explosive encounter visitors won’t want to miss.
To book tickets and for more information, visit svr.co.uk or call 01562 757900.
