1940's Weekend at Chatham Docks

Its getting a bit late in the year and as the weather begins to turn colder so that fairweather breed, the Reenactor, starts to pack away their gear for another year. The living history season isn't completely over just yet but all the major events that I attend have now run their course. The last of the year (for me at least) will almost certainly be the Chatham Docks 1940's weekend that I attended on Sunday. It's a nice one to finish on - if the weather plays ball - because its a family oriented and varied event with everything from military vehicles to 1940's fashions and all within the grounds of Chatham Docks which is itself an excellent museum. 

As usual I took my camera, although the grey weather made photographing the Spitfire flyover a bit challenging. Here's a selection of my pictures. 

British 3.7" Mobile Anti-Aircraft Gun (c.1942)

QF 40mm Mk 1* (c.1943)

A beautiful Austin Six

Chieftain AVRE, Mine Plough & Trailer

A Replica (static display) Spitfire

Period fire engines attended several 'incidents' during the day

A view across Chatham Docks towards the huge Slip 3 building which houses part of the Royal Engineers Museums collection including the D Day locomotive ‘Overlord’.

View from the bridge of the WWII Destroyer, Cavalier which served in the Arctic Convoys. 

40mm Bofors Single Mk VII, one of two on each side of the Cavalier

Shells for the 40mm Bofors

40mm Bofors Single Mk VII

A Jeep from the Long Range Desert Group

A Parade of vehicles

A beautifully restored Chevrolet Stylemaster US Navy Staff Car

A reenactor 'working' on a replica Hurricane

Patton reviews the troops

A Pearly King entertains the visitors with a redition of  'The Lambeth Walk' 

The MkIX Spitfire 'Spirit of Kent' gives a victory salute to Chatham Docks despite the low cloud. 

The weather was a bit grey throughout the day but it wasn't cold and at least it stayed dry. There are a couple of late Air Shows still to come in the UK but I won't be going to any of these so as already stated this will almost certainly be my last living history event of the year.