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[[File: Spitfire_Replica_Highley_20130630.jpg |thumb|300px|right| Replica Supermarine Spitfire at Highley, June 2013]]
The annual '''Step Back to the 1940s''' event has been billed in the past as "A nostalgic look at Britain during World War II with period vehicle, costumes and re-enactments". Bands and singers perform 1940s music, with the event including appearances by characters ranging from Winston Churchill and Field Marshall Montgomery to a wartime 'spiv'. Other popular attractions have been fire fighting demonstrations at Kidderminster, a wartime wedding at Arley, flypasts by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and a battle re-enactment at Highley. The event returned to the calendar in 2023 after a three-year absence.
==History==
The event was first held on the last weekend of June 1994 as a "'''War Weekend'''" and was organised by then-Kidderminster Stationmaster Malcolm Broadhurst. It proved a popular addition to the events calendar, attracting around 4,600 visitors over the two days.<ref>SVR News 111</ref>
The June 1995 event was renamed the '''Forties Weekend''' and commemorated the 50th Anniversary of V.E. Day (8 May 1945). Saturday 25 June included a fly-past by the RAF Memorial flight with a formation of Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster.<ref>SVR News 115</ref> A later report noted that a skirmish between an American GI and a member of the Wehrmacht had resulted in the 'German Soldier' losing the end of his finger.<ref>SVR News 118</ref><ref group="note">Health and Safety was a high priority at the time following the introduction of the Railway (Safety Critical Operations) Exemption Order 1994. Philip Jones was appointed Safety Officer in 1995 and produced regular "Safety Matters on the SVR" reports in SVR News for many years thereafter.</ref> A further 'Forties Weekend' took place on the last weekend of June 1996.<ref>SVR News 117</ref>
In 1997 the event moved to the first weekend in July and was retitled the '''1940s Weekend'''. While the 'battle' took place at Highley, a number of members of the 'German Navy' took over the station platform and re-named the running-in board 'Berlin'.<ref>SVR News 124</ref> 1998, 1999 and 2000 saw similar July events.<ref>SVR News 125 128 131</ref>
2001 saw the adoption of two 1940s Weekends for the first time, in the now traditional slots of the last weekend in June and the first weekend in July. During the 2002 event the SVR was visited by local historian and broadcaster Dr Carl Chinn who [[List of film and TV productions filmed on the Severn Valley Railway |filmed an feature]] on 'Wartime transport' for BBC Midlands today, later screened on 25 July.<ref>SVR News 141</ref>
Early 2003 saw the outbreak of the second Iraq war. The Board initially decided that the war aspects of that year's 1940s event should be toned down to avoid offence to those with family and friends involved in the conflict. The conclusion of fighting meant they were able to ease those restrictions, although the battle re-enactments and pyrotechnics were still omitted.<ref>SVR News 144</ref>
The two-weekend format continued over succeeding years, although the 2007 weekends scheduled for 23-24 June and 30 June-1 July were an early casualty of the [[2007 Storm Damage|freak storm damage on 19 June]].
2014 saw the event take on its present name of '''Step back to the 1940s''',<ref>SVR News 185</ref> in which form it continued annually until 2019.
<gallery mode=packed heights=200px style="text-align:left">
12099_Highley_20170701.jpg |'Battle train' and re-enactors at Highley, July 2017
Fire_Fighting_Kidderminster_20190630.jpg|Fire fighting demonstration at Kidderminster, June 2019
Buick_Hellcat_tank_20190629.jpg| Buick Hellcat tank at Kidderminster, June2019
</gallery>
The 2020 event was scheduled as normal but did not take place as the railway was closed due to the [[2020 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic]]. By summer 2021 the railway had reopened on a limited basis but ongoing social distancing restrictions meant the event could not be held for a second year.
The event was scheduled to return to the timetable in 2022.<ref>SVR News 217, Spring 2022, ''Coming Events''</ref>. However in March 2022 the Board announced that it would not take place, [[SVR(H)]] Chairman [[Mike Ball]] stated that "''Like everyone in the country, we've been horrified and saddened at the atrocities that are taking place in Ukraine as the result of Russia’s invasion. We understand the disappointment of those who were looking forward to what, under normal circumstances, is an extremely popular and enjoyable event. We are however doing what we believe is the right thing, and feel that the wartime elements would be inappropriate at this time.''"<ref>[https://www.svrlive.com/blapr22 Branch Lines, April 2022]</ref> A similar policy was adopted by a number of other heritage railways.
==2023==
After this three-year absence, Step Back to the 1940s returned to the calendar in 2023, although the planned events did not include the usual 'battle' at Highley. The attractions listed were/are as follows<ref>[https://svr.co.uk/event/step-back-to-the-1940s-2023/ SVR Website]</ref>:
[[Kidderminster]]:
*Classic vehicles on display.
*Bombed out building.
*Themed roadworks display with small steam roller.
*Valentine Tank (first weekend only).
*Re-created 1940s shop and house.
*Wartime Police Station.
*Air Raid Shelter.
*ARP Sandbag Hut.
*Field Marshall Montgomery and the South Gloucestershire regiment.
*Live Music from the Kalamazoo Dance Band.
*Wartime dance lessons and tea dances on the dancefloor.
[[Bewdley]]:
*Timber Corp display in the Orchard (Worcestershire at War).
*Bombed out shopkeeper in waiting room.
*George Formby tribute.
*Laurel and Hardy meet and greet.
*Vintage stalls.
*Classic vehicles.
*Bewdley Station Fund Shop and Beer Tent.
[[Arley]]:
*Join the congregation of a Wartime Wedding at 2.45pm.
*Advanced field hospital and weapons display.
*Classic vehicles, including caravans.
*See the evacuees disembark in search of safety in the countryside.
*Anderson Shelter.
*1940s crooner Kevin Mac.
[[Highley]] and [[The Engine House]]:
*RAF ground crew display (first weekend only)
*Wartime fun fair (first weekend only)
*Replica Spitfire and operational Merlin Engine (second weekend only)
*Vintage marketplace with traders
*Entertainment from Kitten Von Mew and The Lancashire Belles
*Beer Tent and BBQ outside the Engine House
[[Hampton Loade]]:
*Home Guard Unit protecting the station and performing drill for passengers, as the trains wait to cross.
[[Bridgnorth]]:
*Traders selling vintage items
*Classic vehicles including one jeep and an RAF tractor
*NAAFI van selling refreshments
*Entertainment from the ever-popular Brandyn Shaw and The Ronnies
On train and along the line:
*Costumed reenactors
*Winston Churchill greeting crowds at stations
*1940s themed catering
*Spivs on the train, trying to sell you their illicit goods
*Military Police checking your ID cards
*Battle of Britain Memorial Flight featuring a Hurricane (June 25th) and Spitfire (July 2nd). Subject to availability.
==Notable events==
*'''1994''' First 'War Weekend'
*'''1995''' Renamed 'Forties Weekend'.
*'''1997''' Renamed '1940s Weekend'
*'''2001''' First held over two weekends
*'''2008''' Not held due to the [[2007 Storm Damage]].
*'''2014''' Renamed 'Step Back to the 1940s.
*'''2020''' Not held due to Covid restrictions.
*'''2021''' Not held due to Covid restrictions.
*'''2022''' Not held in recognition of the war in Ukraine.
==Passenger numbers==
From time-to-time the SVR publishes the number of Gala passengers, according to the method of counting these which has varied over time (for example, since 2010 documents sent to shareholders became valid as a ticket which did not need to be exchanged for travel).<ref>[https://forum.svr-online.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=1936 SVR Forum shareholders' Passes thread]</ref>
The following is an incomplete record.
{| class="wikitable "
!Year !! Number of passengers!! Reference !! Notes
|-
| 2015 || style="text-align:right;" | 7,168|| <ref name=AGM>SVR Shareholder AGM information</ref> || For comparison, [[Autumn Steam Gala]] 7,324
|-
| 2016 || style="text-align:right;" | 6,479|| <ref name=AGM/> || No equivalent ASG
|-
| 2017 || style="text-align:right;" | 6,937|| <ref name=AGM/> || Autumn Steam Gala 5,357
|-
| 2018 || style="text-align:right;" | 6,664|| <ref name=AGM/>|| Autumn Steam Gala 6,334
|-
|}
==See also==
*[[SVR Passenger numbers]]
==Notes==
<references group="note"/>
==References==
<references />
[[Category:Featured articles]]
[[Category:Special events]]
The annual '''Step Back to the 1940s''' event has been billed in the past as "A nostalgic look at Britain during World War II with period vehicle, costumes and re-enactments". Bands and singers perform 1940s music, with the event including appearances by characters ranging from Winston Churchill and Field Marshall Montgomery to a wartime 'spiv'. Other popular attractions have been fire fighting demonstrations at Kidderminster, a wartime wedding at Arley, flypasts by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and a battle re-enactment at Highley. The event returned to the calendar in 2023 after a three-year absence.
==History==
The event was first held on the last weekend of June 1994 as a "'''War Weekend'''" and was organised by then-Kidderminster Stationmaster Malcolm Broadhurst. It proved a popular addition to the events calendar, attracting around 4,600 visitors over the two days.<ref>SVR News 111</ref>
The June 1995 event was renamed the '''Forties Weekend''' and commemorated the 50th Anniversary of V.E. Day (8 May 1945). Saturday 25 June included a fly-past by the RAF Memorial flight with a formation of Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster.<ref>SVR News 115</ref> A later report noted that a skirmish between an American GI and a member of the Wehrmacht had resulted in the 'German Soldier' losing the end of his finger.<ref>SVR News 118</ref><ref group="note">Health and Safety was a high priority at the time following the introduction of the Railway (Safety Critical Operations) Exemption Order 1994. Philip Jones was appointed Safety Officer in 1995 and produced regular "Safety Matters on the SVR" reports in SVR News for many years thereafter.</ref> A further 'Forties Weekend' took place on the last weekend of June 1996.<ref>SVR News 117</ref>
In 1997 the event moved to the first weekend in July and was retitled the '''1940s Weekend'''. While the 'battle' took place at Highley, a number of members of the 'German Navy' took over the station platform and re-named the running-in board 'Berlin'.<ref>SVR News 124</ref> 1998, 1999 and 2000 saw similar July events.<ref>SVR News 125 128 131</ref>
2001 saw the adoption of two 1940s Weekends for the first time, in the now traditional slots of the last weekend in June and the first weekend in July. During the 2002 event the SVR was visited by local historian and broadcaster Dr Carl Chinn who [[List of film and TV productions filmed on the Severn Valley Railway |filmed an feature]] on 'Wartime transport' for BBC Midlands today, later screened on 25 July.<ref>SVR News 141</ref>
Early 2003 saw the outbreak of the second Iraq war. The Board initially decided that the war aspects of that year's 1940s event should be toned down to avoid offence to those with family and friends involved in the conflict. The conclusion of fighting meant they were able to ease those restrictions, although the battle re-enactments and pyrotechnics were still omitted.<ref>SVR News 144</ref>
The two-weekend format continued over succeeding years, although the 2007 weekends scheduled for 23-24 June and 30 June-1 July were an early casualty of the [[2007 Storm Damage|freak storm damage on 19 June]].
2014 saw the event take on its present name of '''Step back to the 1940s''',<ref>SVR News 185</ref> in which form it continued annually until 2019.
<gallery mode=packed heights=200px style="text-align:left">
12099_Highley_20170701.jpg |'Battle train' and re-enactors at Highley, July 2017
Fire_Fighting_Kidderminster_20190630.jpg|Fire fighting demonstration at Kidderminster, June 2019
Buick_Hellcat_tank_20190629.jpg| Buick Hellcat tank at Kidderminster, June2019
</gallery>
The 2020 event was scheduled as normal but did not take place as the railway was closed due to the [[2020 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic]]. By summer 2021 the railway had reopened on a limited basis but ongoing social distancing restrictions meant the event could not be held for a second year.
The event was scheduled to return to the timetable in 2022.<ref>SVR News 217, Spring 2022, ''Coming Events''</ref>. However in March 2022 the Board announced that it would not take place, [[SVR(H)]] Chairman [[Mike Ball]] stated that "''Like everyone in the country, we've been horrified and saddened at the atrocities that are taking place in Ukraine as the result of Russia’s invasion. We understand the disappointment of those who were looking forward to what, under normal circumstances, is an extremely popular and enjoyable event. We are however doing what we believe is the right thing, and feel that the wartime elements would be inappropriate at this time.''"<ref>[https://www.svrlive.com/blapr22 Branch Lines, April 2022]</ref> A similar policy was adopted by a number of other heritage railways.
==2023==
After this three-year absence, Step Back to the 1940s returned to the calendar in 2023, although the planned events did not include the usual 'battle' at Highley. The attractions listed were/are as follows<ref>[https://svr.co.uk/event/step-back-to-the-1940s-2023/ SVR Website]</ref>:
[[Kidderminster]]:
*Classic vehicles on display.
*Bombed out building.
*Themed roadworks display with small steam roller.
*Valentine Tank (first weekend only).
*Re-created 1940s shop and house.
*Wartime Police Station.
*Air Raid Shelter.
*ARP Sandbag Hut.
*Field Marshall Montgomery and the South Gloucestershire regiment.
*Live Music from the Kalamazoo Dance Band.
*Wartime dance lessons and tea dances on the dancefloor.
[[Bewdley]]:
*Timber Corp display in the Orchard (Worcestershire at War).
*Bombed out shopkeeper in waiting room.
*George Formby tribute.
*Laurel and Hardy meet and greet.
*Vintage stalls.
*Classic vehicles.
*Bewdley Station Fund Shop and Beer Tent.
[[Arley]]:
*Join the congregation of a Wartime Wedding at 2.45pm.
*Advanced field hospital and weapons display.
*Classic vehicles, including caravans.
*See the evacuees disembark in search of safety in the countryside.
*Anderson Shelter.
*1940s crooner Kevin Mac.
[[Highley]] and [[The Engine House]]:
*RAF ground crew display (first weekend only)
*Wartime fun fair (first weekend only)
*Replica Spitfire and operational Merlin Engine (second weekend only)
*Vintage marketplace with traders
*Entertainment from Kitten Von Mew and The Lancashire Belles
*Beer Tent and BBQ outside the Engine House
[[Hampton Loade]]:
*Home Guard Unit protecting the station and performing drill for passengers, as the trains wait to cross.
[[Bridgnorth]]:
*Traders selling vintage items
*Classic vehicles including one jeep and an RAF tractor
*NAAFI van selling refreshments
*Entertainment from the ever-popular Brandyn Shaw and The Ronnies
On train and along the line:
*Costumed reenactors
*Winston Churchill greeting crowds at stations
*1940s themed catering
*Spivs on the train, trying to sell you their illicit goods
*Military Police checking your ID cards
*Battle of Britain Memorial Flight featuring a Hurricane (June 25th) and Spitfire (July 2nd). Subject to availability.
==Notable events==
*'''1994''' First 'War Weekend'
*'''1995''' Renamed 'Forties Weekend'.
*'''1997''' Renamed '1940s Weekend'
*'''2001''' First held over two weekends
*'''2008''' Not held due to the [[2007 Storm Damage]].
*'''2014''' Renamed 'Step Back to the 1940s.
*'''2020''' Not held due to Covid restrictions.
*'''2021''' Not held due to Covid restrictions.
*'''2022''' Not held in recognition of the war in Ukraine.
==Passenger numbers==
From time-to-time the SVR publishes the number of Gala passengers, according to the method of counting these which has varied over time (for example, since 2010 documents sent to shareholders became valid as a ticket which did not need to be exchanged for travel).<ref>[https://forum.svr-online.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=1936 SVR Forum shareholders' Passes thread]</ref>
The following is an incomplete record.
{| class="wikitable "
!Year !! Number of passengers!! Reference !! Notes
|-
| 2015 || style="text-align:right;" | 7,168|| <ref name=AGM>SVR Shareholder AGM information</ref> || For comparison, [[Autumn Steam Gala]] 7,324
|-
| 2016 || style="text-align:right;" | 6,479|| <ref name=AGM/> || No equivalent ASG
|-
| 2017 || style="text-align:right;" | 6,937|| <ref name=AGM/> || Autumn Steam Gala 5,357
|-
| 2018 || style="text-align:right;" | 6,664|| <ref name=AGM/>|| Autumn Steam Gala 6,334
|-
|}
==See also==
*[[SVR Passenger numbers]]
==Notes==
<references group="note"/>
==References==
<references />
[[Category:Featured articles]]
[[Category:Special events]]
