Croft Nostalgia - August 3rd~5th
Photos and report by Stephen Carr

My 2018 display was to be part of a bigger display to mark the 100th Anniversary of the Royal Air Force. As a result, the Croft display would use the two Jeeps and I'd leave the Dodge at home this year. It was only the second show for the GPW and the third time out this year. 'Jessie' has been dominating the 2018 season so far. We arrived around lunch time and set up the tent, but waited until the Spitfire arrived and was set up before laying out our display.
The Spifire from Lytham arrived around 3pm and there was then a flurry of activity while it was unloaded and assembled. It was positioned on the grass, near the start of the military display line, along the old main runway. Near by was the Hillman RAF staff car and bomb trailer. Later in the morning, a Vanguard RAF staff car turned up, but was only present on Saturday.
Next along from the Spitfire was Paul Mayo. He brought his GMC and Royal Enfield motorbike, together with some tents and other display items. For Saturday, between the GMC and Spitfire, the display was joined by a blue RAF Jeep. Next was 'Hope', our GPW, then the Signal Square, followed by 'Jessie'.
There was quite a nice sun set on Friday evening and I grabbed a few pictures with the Spitfire and 'Jessie'.
On Saturday morning, I went for the first of several long walks with my camera to record what was on display. The first circuit was along the military line and round to the classic car field. Later wanders took in the pits and some of the racing. During the lunch break, the 25 pound field gun was escorted out onto the circuit near the tower for a firing demonstration. The Twisters aerobatic team also displayed during both lunch breaks.
There was musical entertainment in the marquee all day with various acts performing, along with a best dressed competition for those who turned up in period costume. On Saturday evening, there was a band who played a variety of music and the dance floor was rarely empty. partly due to my eight year old daughter who danced for about four hours non-stop.
On Sunday, I went for further tours to get pictures of those who weren't there on Saturday and took in some more racing. Sunday was also the day for the parade laps of the circuit, including the traction engine which was surprisingly fast. It was an odd experience watching the FV432 thunder down the show field with a steam whistle blowing in the background. Unlike the previous years when the military parade was first thing in the morning, this year it was mid afternoon, and was far less rushed to get the convoy into position.
Also on Sunday, I managed to get on the top deck of one of the vintage busses to get a panoramic view of the 'RAF 100' display.
All too soon, the weekend was over. Just before the Spitfire was dismantled, the Daisy Belles came over to get a few photos. We started packing around 4:00pm, got away from Croft about 7:00pm and were home and unpacked by 10:00pm.