Spots of rain and the feeling of needing more rest days (someone gets his Teacher’s pension this year!), we put off the delights of Wolverhampton, it’s environs and those 21 locks until another day. It’s still 1940 next door in the museum and Steve is threatening to dress up and become an “enactor” . . . “It’s a Lovely Day Tomorrow”
The thing is, most of the folk here are enacting – I’m not, I really am a boater! And despite the no smoking policy, I found another “enactor” smoking his pipe too – so we chatted together and soon we had collected dozens of grockles with their huge telephoto lenses taking photos of the two of us, weird. One chap from the States was keen to take a 3D photo. I met some lovely people who do this as their main hobby, travelling all over the country – I particularly liked the Spiv, complete with watches, nylons etc. A policeman (enactor) came and “felt his collar”, as they used to say.
There was Monty again and a real pub (with real £3.80 a pint, prices too)
Dozens of old shops – this tobacconist had my Falcon pipes, wish I could get them for 25 shillings. Note the taped windows.
I only had time to explore a small section but found my way to a dance hall:
The band sounded really good too:
God save the King! He really did look authentic (what do you think Mum? Dad?), I kept shouting out “God save the King” and “He’s one of us, gawd bless yer!”
I did do some leaning on a boat, honest.
They had Air Raid drills throughout the day. These were announced by a very loud audio system with recordings of approaching aircraft, bombs dropping and sirens. They also had hand driven sirens here plus smoke pouring from a first floor window! It all had a chilling effect on me – I just hope we never have to experience anything like this again. The visitors all thought it was a huge laugh and it was comical watching the firemen running down with pails of water & spraying the house lamely with stirrup pumps. A woman threw her baby from the window, stretchers were called for and all it really needed was for someone to say “Mr Mainwaring, is that wise?”. I was impressed by how much trouble these “enactors” had gone to and even some visitors had got into the spirit with big colourful dresses, lipstick, stockings with seams etc It was all “Goodnight Sweetheart” as it was a weird mixture of old & new.
To round it all off, a Lancaster bomber was scheduled to fly by at 1500 and it did:
(Apologies for squeaky toy sound midway in video – Toby was waiting for a walk and let us know he was waiting!!)
A very memorable day . . . . Wolverhampton beckons . . .