BUDE will see Crooklets become a 1944 GI camp once more with the troops moving in for a spectacular commemorative weekend ’Bude at War — The Day The Americans Came’ on September 16 and 17.

The whole town is stepping back in time to pay tribute to the British and American troops who trained in Bude for D Day. Based on true stories and recalled memories, the weekend is to be an extravaganza of 1940s activities and events with free entry to most things.

Some 40 original military vehicles and re-enactments groups from across the UK will be attending to recreate Bude into a living history outdoor museum. The re-enactment groups use original kit, uniform and have a wealth of knowledge about the units they portray. The Enigma machine from Bletchley park will be there for small group presentations alongside WWII American Veteran Leonardo Creo aged 95 (42nd Infantry Rainbow Company) who will be teaching you how to do morse code. Children can join in by picking up an education trail and finding out historical facts from the re-enactors. There will be a Blitz experience with ARP wardens and St John’s Nurse portraying an Air Raid Shelter First Aider with stories, sound effects and information. Although Bude was not bombed, many local people recall seeing the fires that lit the sky across Plymouth during the Blitz raids.

For those looking for a little bit of fun, there is the Vintage Body Boarding, Lindy Hop, GI Dance double bill and art exhibition. The students from Budehaven school are illustrating the narrative of local memories of 1939-1954. You can walk the self discovery heritage trail which has located all the places of importance during WWII in Bude, the ration office, the PX store and more, or view the memorabilia and militaria from the exhibitors.

The highlight of the weekend is surely the D Day Beach Assault. After speeches from Churchill, Eisenhower and Montgomery, the very place in front of the recently opened pill box will once again see the Rangers re-enactors leaving a mock landing craft and tackling life like beach defences against gun and mortar fire. After a Surf Life Saving vintage reel and line rescue, the weekend will culminate with the town band playing swing tunes of the era.

Clair Roberts and a fantastic team of volunteers have been working and planning the event for ten months. The reason for this event is simple, as Clair explained: "This is about history and ensuring that we do not forget the memory of those young men who had such an impact on our community. The Great Generation, and even those who were children and can recall the memories, are leaving us. If we do not gather the stories to keep the history, it will be gone forever. To be clear, a majority of young men that landed on Omaha beach in the first wave did not make it off the landing craft. Those youngsters were mourned by the local people who had taken them into their homes as military billets were not available.

“I have an absolute passion for the era, the sacrifices made and although Bude may not have been at the centre of a blitz, the social impact on the community with evacuees, troops and our own young men fighting is incredibly interesting. This is to keep their memory alive.”

See next week’s Post for a commemorative page, ration book and full programme of events for the Bude at War weekend.