THE voice of Vera Lynn drifted over a tannoy system, sandbags flanked the platforms, and a Bren gun was mounted by the entrance of Okehampton Station last week, as 100 schoolchildren arrived, dressed as evacuees, to take the steam train to Meldon. Transformed for the day to represent Waterloo Station in 1939, Okehampton station was decorated with timetables to 'the West Country' — represented by Meldon — and by posters instructing people to 'dig for victory'. There was also the stern announcement that 'caring for evacuees is a national service'. Almost 40 volunteers from the station were dressed in period costume — from world war two uniforms to furs and pillbox hats. The children, aged between seven and nine years old, had come from St Mary's Primary School in Bideford for the day, as part of a school project looking at the second world war. Each was issued with a replica gas mask case, a ration card, and a 1930s railway ticket, and was tagged for the journey to Meldon. Once there, the children were 'processed' and dispersed to host families, before having a talk on the importance of the railways to the war effort, and a tour of Meldon's genuine world war two air raid shelter. There they heard recordings of wartime sound effects and listened to some of the most famous WW2 speeches to add to the atmosphere. Their 1930s experience was rounded off with a lunch of brown Windsor soup, spam, and carrots in gelatine. As the children returned to Okehampton Station, they were unanimous in their excitement about the day. Emily Rawlinson, aged eight, said: 'It was brilliant. It was the best school trip I've been on. I liked the train ride and the air raid shelter best.' Alice Hope, also aged eight, said she thought being an evacuee would have been 'quite scary', but that she had liked the spam. The station is now hoping to offer WW2 re-enactment days to other schools in the area. Volunteer co-ordinator Jim Rider said: 'We've got a package ready to go now, so we're hoping to do this two or three times a year.' Interested schools should call Geoff Mills at the railway on 01837 55661.
