SAMPFORD Courtenay will be transported back to the 1940s this weekend as the village holds an all-day celebration of the 60th anniversary of the ending of the second world war. The village square with its picturesque thatched cottages will be filled with military and civilian vehicles on Saturday, which are being generously displayed by members of the Military Vehicle Trust. The church rooms will house an extensive exhibition of wartime memorabilia, ranging from gas masks to pieces of shrapnel. And there will be a competition to test visitors? knowledge of wartime life. Although Sampford Courtenay was spared the worst of the privations during the period from 1939 to 1945, many of today?s younger generations have little concept of the effects of rationing and the blackout. The day begins at 11.30am and there will be the opportunity to sample refreshments made with provisions available in the war years. Visitors will be invited in the afternoon to join the fun on the village green with old fashioned children?s sports such as the egg and spoon race ? not, of course, using precious real eggs ? and try their hand at traditional sideshows. The day?s finale will be the sell-out victory celebration supper in the village hall followed by an evening of popular songs and music from the 30s and 40s complete with vocalist and dance band. Throughout the day many people will be dressed in wartime uniforms or civilian clothes to help create the period atmosphere. Members of Sampford Courtenay Village Hall management committee have been able to stage the event thanks to a £1,995 grant from the Big Lottery Fund?s Home Front Recall programme. The grant allowed the committee to stage two events recalling the experiences of people living and working in Britain during the war years. A successful film evening was held back in March, as a curtain-raiser for the main day of celebrations. Wartime propaganda films were obtained from the Imperial War Museum and a packed audience enjoyed two hours of short black-and-white films covering topics such as preparing for the blackout, rationing and evacuees. Refreshments were served using authentic wartime recipes amid a backdrop of posters and information about food rationing.
