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Talacre World War Two Weekend

Published: 17/07/2019

Find out what Talacre was like in World War Two when the North Wales village heads back in time to revisit its wartime heritage and explore why it played such an important role in the military response of the day. 

On 27 and 28 July Talacre will host a variety of exhibits from military vehicles and re-enactors, to artefacts, live music and fun activities for all the family, all helping to recreate the feel of Talacre in the 1930s and 40s.

Talacre was a very different place during World War 2, with many evacuees escaping the bombing in Liverpool to stay in simple huts built in the dunes or even buses and old railway carriages. The war was heard and seen in the skies above them with dog-fights and views of the bombing of Liverpool across the water. The dunes and beach areas were used for Spitfire training and the remains of pill boxes and rows of larch posts, originally put in to deter enemy invasion, can still be seen. 

To recapture the unique spirit of the place, Talacre Community Centre will be packed with displays and artefacts, ranging from a recreated evacuee chalet to an authentic Spitfire Cockpit. You can use virtual reality headsets to get a feel of the Battle of Britain. The new CGI (computer generated imagery) film will help you visualise the Spitfires training overhead and you can see the film made with pupils from Ysgol Gronant, showing what life may have been like for children living in Talacre Warren during the war.

Outdoors, the highlight is Iconic WW2 Aircraft’s replica Spitfire plus a working Merlin Meteor Engine. Cheshire Home Guard will be based beside the beach car park, along with a full sized replica pillbox. There will also be an ARP post and a number of military vehicles on display. There’ll be a chance to join in the archaeological dig around the site of some of the old chalets too.

You can discover the World War Two history of the dunes and beach by picking up a trail leaflet or downloading the new digital trail app. 

There’s plenty for all the family, trying on clothes from the era, playing traditional games, or joining drill practice with ‘Sergeant Baglin’ and undertaking his training regime for prospective pilots!  

There’s music too with a singer and saxophonist performing WW2 songs in The Point Bar during the weekend and ‘Sergeant Baglin’ and family singing well known tunes from the era on Saturday morning at the Community Centre.

Why not come in period dress to add to the atmosphere?

This event is the climax of the Talacre Then and Now project, run by Flintshire Countryside Service and funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Armed Forces Covenant Trust Fund, Outdoor Learning Wales and Cadwyn Clwyd. It runs from 10am-4pm each day. 

For more information about the weekend just search 'World War 2 Weekend' on Facebook.