WEST Somerset will go into an 80-year-old time-warp this weekend, turning back the clock to re-create the Dad’s Army decade of the 1940s as part of a feast of nostalgia expected to attract thousands of visitors to the towns and villages along the West Somerset Railway line.

Robin Wychard, who dreamed up the period extravaganza in 2018, said: “All the signs are that this year’s 1940s weekend will be one of the best ever.

“Despite national and international problems, enthusiasm for the event is as high as ever and we have a huge range of events and entertainment to celebrate the epic years of the ‘forties’.

“There will be something for everyobody.”

Re-enactment enthusiasts have already signed up in their hundreds to bring an authentic forties atmosphere to weekend events and look-alike celebrities riding the trains will include King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, Winston Churchill, and Laurel and Hardy.

All stations along the line will be putting on special events, and at Minehead there will be live entertainment and attractions including classic model aircraft and tank displays.

There will also be performances by singers Johnny Victory, Helen Pearson, the Pashy Pops, Dickie Lines, May Blossom, and Dottie and Biscuit, plus Lindy Hop dance sessions.

Highlight of the Minehead weekend will be the ever-popular Saturday evening dance on the station platform when up to 200 residents and visitors will high-step the night away to the music of the Deane Big Band.

Down the line, Dunster Station will be featuring a Dig for Victory stand, a photo gallery and display of the village in the 1940s, and a ‘make-do-and-mend’ display.

At Washford Station, a period road repair gang will be digging for victory, plus a 1940s tea room, a NAAFI, a retro tin display, and performances from Dickie Lines on Saturday and Helen Pearson on Sunday.

Watchet Station will be providing music and performances through the weekend, featuring singers May Blossom, Tabitha, Johnny Victory, and Amy Yon.

Williton Station’s attractions will include railways at war and period office displays, plus a demonstration of the Women's Volunteer Service ‘make do and mend’.

Stogumber Station will feature the Royal Observer Corps, military vehicles, an air raid shelter, singers Blitz Time Sally and Chrystal Bliss, war time rations in the NAAFI, and vintage vehicles.

Visitors to Crowcombe Heathfield station will find wartime paraphernalia and posters, vintage vehicles, a Home Guard sentry box, and Dad’s Army’s Corporal Jones.

In Watchet, the festivities, organised by the town’s Home Front Group, kick off on Friday at 3 pm with a tea dance at the Royal British Legion, which heralds an exciting weekend programme of music spanning the entire spectrum of the 1940s from the upbeat rhythms of swing and big band sounds to the tunes of the Grand Ole Opry.

Local favourites on parade on the Esplanade will include Watchet Town Band, West Somerset Brass, and Watchet Community Choir.

A vintage market will be in full swing from 10 am on both Saturday and Sunday, featuring the largest selection yet of vintage stalls and attractions.