Military vehicles and war memorabilia lined up for Second World War commemoration
Second World War memorabilia – and some impressive military vehicles – will be on display at an anniversary event.
The Abbey Station Visitor Centre in Shrewsbury will be hosting the event on Saturday and Sunday, May 4 and 5, to commemorate the building's role as an Air Raid Precaution (ARP) post, during the conflict.
As part of the weekend the centre will have displays of original ARP cycles, an ‘unexploded bomb’, historic military vehicles and more.
The building's role as an ARP post would have required it to direct Fire and Rescue services to any incident during the Second World War.
The trustees of Shrewsbury Railway Heritage Trust, which runs the building, said they have been fortunate to have the assistance of local collector and Second World War enthusiast, Nick Holden, for the event.
Mr Holden will be displaying some of his artefacts, including an original a Shropshire & Montgomery Railway lamp, an unrestored 1930s Hercules ARP military bicycle, a 1947 Mercury Army bicycle, and a Royal Enfield Second World War Dispatch/Airborne motorcycle.
Trust director and committee member, David Morris has been planning the event with Mr Holden and Pip Robinson of the Shropshire & Border Counties Area Military Vehicle Trust.
He said: “We are keen to tell people about the use of the Abbey Station building as an ARP post during the Second World War period.
"We know that Shrewsbury’s ARP HQ was situated in the Grade II Listed Claremont Buildings overlooking Shrewsbury’s Quarry, but very little is known about the ARP’s use of the trust’s building in Abbey Foregate, during this period of time.
"We hope to gather more information, about the building during the war period. Abbey Station was re-opened to service the line which the War Department had re-laid the line, which took staff and armaments to the large camp at Nesscliffe.
"This small railway played an important role in the ‘big picture’ of winning the war, with 200 million tons of ammunition transported to and from the Nesscliffe Central Ammunition Depot. Abbey Station will play host to what promises to be a splendid exhibition of Second World War memorabilia, to commemorate what must have been the busiest time for our railway.”
Pip Robinson of the Shropshire & Border Counties Area Military Vehicle Trust said: “We are aiming to have a variety of about a dozen historic military vehicles attending on the Sunday, and they range from a VW Kubelwagen 181, an Austin Champ and a Willys Jeep to a Land Rover FFR, Ford CMP lorry, and a Land Rover Air Portable."
Mr Morris added: “Working with Shropshire-based enthusiast – Nick Holden, we are intending to re-create the atmosphere of the period, by transforming the inside of the Station Building into an ARP depot, with appropriate memorabilia, which will include mannequins wearing ‘authentic clothing of the period’; artefacts from locations along the original line, display material, and historic military vehicles from the Shropshire & Border Counties Area Military Vehicle Trust parked alongside the Abbey Station.
"We certainly intend it to be a fun-filled trip down memory lane, which will be entirely free to all of our visitors."
