Forties fashions and Forties music will be back in style as Pembroke Dock marks the 80th anniversaries of VE and VJ-Days and the end of World War II with a one-off ‘Forties Dance’ on Saturday June 21st.
Organised by the Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre team, that dance will be staged in a 400-capacity marquee, generously sponsored by the Port of Milford Haven, in the former Royal Dockyard, and supported by street food vendors.
Funds raised will support a unique heritage project – the return of the RAF Pembroke Dock Memorial Window to the community from the RAF Museum in London, where it has been on display for 30 years.
The Phil Dando Big Band will make a welcome return to play evocative wartime dance music – the era of Glenn Miller and other famous bands. Many local people will remember two previous dances with music by this Welsh-based band when so many dancegoers turned out in Forties fashions and uniforms.
Husband and wife duo Peter and Marilyn Mitchell, of the Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre Volunteers team, are already geared up Forties Fashion for the dance.
They said: “Check out local charity shops for wartime era fashions – wartime fashion was stylish and it is surprising what can be found today or replicated easily, at modest cost.” Dance tickets are £25 and are available online through Eventbrite or direct from the Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre (01646 684220) and the Pembroke Dock Town Council offices in Dimond Street.
Union Jacks and Ration Book at the ready – Peter and Marilyn Mitchell in Forties Fashion for the big Forties Dance on Saturday June 21st. PICTURE: Martin Cavaney Photography