After a successful visit to Normandy for the 80th D-Day commemorations, some members of the Taxi Charity attended the Southwick Revival on 9th June.
London cab drivers and Taxi Charity volunteers, Dave Hemstead and Dean Euesden, shared their experiences at Southwick Revival.
What is Southwick Revival?
Dave: Mark Jewell, the organiser of the annual WWII Southwick Revival in Hampshire, invited the Taxi Charity to bring a couple of veterans to the event. The timing worked perfectly. We arrived back in Portsmouth on the evening of 8th June from our trip to Normandy for the 80th anniversary of D-Day, stayed overnight and then spent a lovely few hours in the village of Southwick before taking our veterans home.
Dean: I didn’t really know what to expect but the event certainly exceeded anything I’d imagined. It appeared that the whole village had joined in the revival, with all the windows taped as they would have been during WWII, bunting flying from every building and so many villagers and visitors dressed in authentic costume.
Dave: Their website says ‘Southwick Revival is a fantastically nostalgic event commemorating the D-Day Landings. Featuring visits to the impressive Map Room at Southwick Park, visitors can indulge in the sights and smells of 1940s England, whilst wandering through the Squires Paddock filled with a vintage fun fair, refuel on home-made cake from Ma Attwell’s tea room and marvel at the motorcade rumbling through the village!’
Dean: There were so many people dressed in 1940s gear and everyone looked to be having a great time listening to the music, exploring the WWII camp, shopping in the vintage market and enjoying the perfect weather.
Dave: On the Saturday, the event hosted a panel discussion in honour of the 80th anniversary of D-Day, when they brought together descendants of the Supreme Commanders who led the Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944. Their VIP guests included Susan Eisenhower, granddaughter of General Dwight D. Eisenhower; Richard Tedder, son of Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder, Viscount Henry Montgomery, grandson of General Montgomery and William Ramsay, grandson of Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay. The charity had been approached to take some of their VIP guests back to London and we were very happy to help.
Dean: On the Sunday afternoon, WWII Veteran Marie Scott shared her D-Day story. The group listened in total silence as she told them how she had been only a few miles away in Fort Southwick, transmitting messages to and receiving messages from the beaches. After the previous day’s panel, the crowd really appreciated hearing from someone who was there and who spoke so eloquently about her experiences.
Dave: It was a really good event and I hope we can attend next year.
Comments