Thorpe Camp 1940s weekend at Woodhall Spa is a hit despite rain

Visitor numbers were ‘significantly up’ at the annual Thorpe Camp 1940s weekend, despite the temperamental weather.

The two-day event on Saturday and Sunday (July 6 and 7) which had to cope with a few rain showers, was a huge success.

The weather didn’t dampen spirits as the vast majority of visitors dressed in period clothing for the event at Thorpe Camp Visitor Centre, near Woodhall Spa.

Highlights included the RAF Beach Unit set two days before D-Day which showed how the troops would have prepared themselves on the south coast of England ready for departure on June 6, 1944.

Anthony Bird, media manager for Thorpe Camp, said: “We’re very pleased with the turnout which has been up for both days on last year’s event.

“We’ve had brilliant competitions over the weekend, including ‘best dressed’, ‘best period vehicle’ and this year we’ve also had junior member categories as lots of our visitors are young persons interested in the 1940s, the music, the clothing and getting dressed up for the occasion.”

Thorpe Camp Visitor Centre is the barracks for the former RAF Woodhall Spa and has a number of dedications on display for each of the squadrons that were stationed there, among the most famous of which was 617 Squadron, ‘The Dambusters’.

Among the displays were Wing Commander Guy Gibson’s desk, who led the Dambusters raids on Germany in May 1943, winning the Victoria Cross, as well a full size Lancaster cockpit.

By 1987 the site was completely derelict and overgrown. Part of it came with the area acquired by the Woodland trust when they purchased the adjacent Carr Woods. It was the Trust's plan to demolish the buildings that resulted in the formation of the Thorpe Camp Preservation Group to restore the site and create a visitor centre.

The centre opened to the public in 1994 with a donation entry fee and a very limited area to view. Today the full site is a memorial to the past.

The annual 1940s weekend has grown in size and visitor numbers every year since it began in the early-2000s. The entire village of Tattershall Thorpe takes part in the events.