This Saturday, I was lucky enough to visit the 1940s weekend at Bletchley park with my little sister. We dressed in our best 1940s outfits (stitched up by yours truly in the weeks before) and had ourselves a wonderful time!
(My dress was made from a 1940s top pattern combined with a modern skirt pattern. My bag is a vintage bargain I purchased in a local charity shop for £5.)
If you ever get the opportunity to visit Bletchley, go! It’s a fabulous place with so much history. Bletchley was the home of the Codebreakers and Alan Turing during World War 2. The grounds of the house are made up of huts, which is where the Codebreakers worked to try and break the Enigma code used by the Germans during the war. Some of these huts still stand, despite being “temporary”, and they have been made up as though the codebreakers there have just popped out to lunch- it’s very atmospheric and really brings the place to life. Alan Turing’s office is particularly touching- there is a mug chained to the radiator, as Alan had, and there is a note scrawled across his typewriter to say he has gone to lunch.
In another block, along with an exhibition about the Enigma machines, they also have Alan Turing’s teddy bear and other personal items on display, including a letter written to Turing’s family by Gordon Brown in 2009. It is a very emotional read- both my sister and myself struggle to read the whole thing without a tear in our eyes.
This was my second visit to Bletchley, and this year it was a celebration of all things 1940s- it really did feel as though we had just stepped back in time. There were bands playing, swing dancers, fabulous cars and a whole load of re-enactors. My sister got accused of being a spy by the guard on the drive, while I got told off by a soldier in camouflage for dancing along the drive (I could hear one of the bands playing and couldn’t resist) because “It’s no time to be cheerful, there’s a war on!”
There was a whole host of traders with a huge collection of wonderful vintage treasures, from hats and handbags and the most beautiful examples of 1940s clothing to kitchenware and other little curiosities- I could have happily purchased everything! I did make a few purchases, my favourite being a wonderful hair flower from Miss Bella’s Blooms. It looks just like strawberries and cream!
I also got a couple more sewing patterns, because I can never resist a sewing pattern!
All in all, it was a truly fabulous weekend, and I would highly recommend a visit to anyone with an interest in history. Bletchley is an important piece of war history, made all the more special by the fact that all those that worked there in the war years were made to sign an official secrets act, promising to never speak of their time at Bletchley- If it wasn’t for a few key factors, the contributions to the war effort that the Codebreakers made would have been forgotten entirely.
Pin-ups & needles 