12:17pm Saturday 11th July 2009
By Mike Laycock
Mike Laycock travels back to the world of the buzzbomb and the blitz
What and where? Eden Camp, just off A169, near Malton.
Why? This is a fascinating glimpse of life for civilians, soldiers and prisoners of war in wartime Britain, situated in a former PoW camp created in 1942.
Having recently met some Normandy Veterans, I was fascinated to see history brought back to life inside the huts where Italians and Germans were once held.
The camp re-creates the sights, sounds, smells and smoke of war.
We entered one hut and found ourselves in the living room of a 1939 home in Britain as a family listens on the radio to Chamberlain declaring that Britain is at war.
In another hut, there were the scenes of destruction in a house after a bombing raid, where a hand reached desperately out of the rubble.
In a third hut, there were the Bevin boys, the miners who ensured Britain did not run out of energy during the war, while a fourth re-created the claustrophobia of life in a submarine in the North Atlantic.
The museum’s scope is comprehensive, covering everything from the rise of the Nazi party and rationing to evacuees, the Home Guard and Land Army girls, and it also looks at other conflicts, from the First World War to the Gulf War.
When? Open daily from 10am to 5pm, last admission 4pm.
How much? Adults £5, children and pensioners £4.
Disabled access? Yes.
Further information: 01653 697777.
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