Our village was planning on holding a D-Day beacon lighting ceremony and put out a request for anyone knowing any veterans to attend. Lynne replied to say we didn't know any veterans, but could bring some military vehicles. So the plan was set. I got the Jeep and Dodge out late afternoon, as it took some time to fit the canvas roof to the Dodge and load up some crates. The Jeep also had its RAF markings added again, so the vehicles represented both Commonwealth and US forces at the event.
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We got there around 6:30pm to set up our display and the barbed wire fence, as I figured there would be lots of children around and didn't want them trying to climb all over the vehicles. A friend also turned up in his Morris 8. It was a recent purchase following the sale of his Dodge WC52.
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While it was a sunny evening, there was a stiff breeze pulling the temperature down. There was a coffee van there selling warm drinks, but the burger van broke down earlier in the day, so anyone wanting food went hungry!
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The village brass band was there playing a selection of 1940s music and there were poetry readings and songs by the local primary school children and other youth organisations.
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The beacon lighting was to be at 9:15pm, which I think was a UK wide time chosen. My daughter was chosen to light the beacon, on behalf of Girlguiding UK, with another boy representing Scouting.
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We had packed everything away by 9:50pm and made the short drive home, getting everything unloaded and the vehicles away as the last of the daylight faded at 10:30. The round trip was 0.8 miles, so probably the shortest ever trip to an event we've done!
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