Shrewsbury Abbey gets ready for a huge VE day event the end of May, complete with performances and a military vehicle display.

Shropshire Star

Army Jeeps descend on Shrewsbury Abbey but all in the name of VE day thankfully. The Abbey will host a huge VE day weekend then end of May. We catch up with organisers to find out more.

Transcript

00:00We're here outside Shrewsbury Abbey and there's some very unorthodox parking going on here.

00:05What's happening then? David, you represent Shrewsbury 7, David Morris.

00:09What's your involvement here? What's happening today?

00:11We're doing a photo shot for an upcoming weekend on May the 31st, June the 1st,

00:18where on the evening we'll be having a concert inside the Abbey Church.

00:22Yeah?

00:23World War II theme music.

00:25And on the following day, Sunday, we'll be having a military vehicle display

00:30around the Abbey Church itself.

00:33Have all sorts of military vehicles there.

00:35Oh, what, looping the church? Looping round the church then?

00:39Yeah, all around here, yeah.

00:42And on the other side of the road we're reopening the Air Raid Precautions HQ from World War II.

00:48Yeah?

00:48Which has been acting as a railway museum for the last couple of years.

00:52Okay.

00:52It was the ARP HQ for Shrewsbury, that will be reopened on the Sunday

00:57and it will all be free of charge on Sunday for visitors and their families.

01:01So that'll be like a special open day for visitors for that day, yeah?

01:04Absolutely.

01:04Got you.

01:05And sir, looking very smart there, so what's your role in this?

01:08You'll be here on the weekend, will you?

01:10Yeah, we'll be here for the weekend along with lots of other different re-enactors.

01:15What's the name of your, do you come from a particular group?

01:18This is HQ REFP, it's the military police for the RAF,

01:25but we also do CMP, which is the guy at the back with the red cap on,

01:29which we'll probably be doing on that weekend.

01:32Yeah.

01:33We're also helping out with the concert on a Saturday night,

01:36we'll be checking tickets basically as we would have done.

01:38In uniform?

01:39In uniform, yeah.

01:39Ah, fantastic.

01:40Yeah, it's an 18-piece band, Bill Basie band from Chester.

01:44Yeah.

01:45Very good band, so if people want to come along, tickets will be £20,

01:50and just raise as much as we can for the round table and other good causes.

01:55Fantastic.

01:55How many vehicles are we expecting on the display day, David?

01:59Very difficult to say at this moment of time, it'll be weather dependent, clearly.

02:03We're hoping for a gloriously long hot summer,

02:06but we should have at least 20 vehicles, aiming for as many as 75.

02:11And that'll be vehicles kind of to represent that period?

02:16There'll be everything from jeeps to hopefully a tank or two,

02:22and military motorcycles and all sorts.

02:24Every type of military vehicle and even a German Kübelwagen as well,

02:31obviously a German military staff car that was used during the Second World War.

02:35We've got one of those lined up to come as well.

02:37Great stuff, well thank you.

02:38Hopefully some civilian vehicles of the period as well.

02:41Yes indeed, yes indeed.

02:43Great stuff, well we look forward to it guys.

02:45We just need the sun now.

02:46That's what we need, that's what we need.

02:48A gloriously long hot summer, 76 we need.

02:50That would, yeah, I'll take that David, any day.

02:53And we encourage people to dress as well if they want to dress for the period.

02:57Yeah, great stuff.

02:59Just get along and enjoy the day.

03:01So what would, it's civvy clothes for that period,

03:04it's got to involve a hat hasn't it or a cap?

03:06Trilby.

03:07Trilby, yeah.

03:08Trilby flat caps.

03:09Yeah, yeah.

03:12Two piece, three piece suits.

03:14Great stuff, right.

03:15Women would have been in tea dresses or tea coats or that type of stuff.

03:19So the word is get your glad rags on Shrewsbury and Shrewsbury.

03:22Glamorous looks for the women, always look smart.

03:26Cool, well thank you guys and good luck with the event, thank you.

03:30Thank you very much.

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