AVONCROFT Museum will be stepping back in time next month with a special “On the Home Front” event, taking place on Saturday, October 4 and Sunday, October 5.
The weekend will explore life in the 1930s and 1940s through re-enactments, living history displays and demonstrations. Visitors can learn how families coped with rationing, discover wartime resilience, and enjoy music from the era.
A highlight will be the return of Bromsgrove’s original 1935 fire engine, a Dennis Ace 40cwt pump which served the town’s fire brigade until 1960 and is believed to have been used during the Coventry Blitz. The vehicle, capable of pumping up to 300 gallons of water per minute, will be on display at the museum throughout the weekend.
Other attractions include civilian and military vehicles such as a Hellcat Tank destroyer and a 1940s Morris Ambulance. A traditional funfair with coconut shy and hook-a-duck will also feature, alongside performances by Kitten von Mew, the Vintage Class Singers, Zak Dien and Jo Thomas as George Formby.
Children’s evacuee packs and demonstrations on rationing and “Make Do and Mend” techniques will give younger visitors a sense of wartime life.
Free heritage bus services will run between Bromsgrove train station and the museum during the event, supported by Worcestershire Community Rail Partnership and Transport Museum, Wythall.
Tickets are available in advance at www.avoncroft.org.uk or on the door.
