At the end of September I attended the Welshpool 1940s Weekend. I’ve visited a few 1940s weekends over the years but this was going to be my first time at the Welshpool event. I decided to only go on the Saturday, visiting for a few hours.
Welshpool 1940s Weekend – My Impression
With no real idea what to expect I was quite surprised how small the event was. Only a part of the main street was closed off. There was a tiny stage and some historic vehicles parked on the streets. Just off the street in a small car park there were some traders and a Spitfire. In comparison to other 1940s weekends I have attended it seemed to be on a much smaller scale.
There were some interesting characters in 1940s costumes, some I was able to photograph, others I missed my chance. Those I missed included someone dressed as Sgt Bilko who really did look like the character played by Phil Silvers. I also missed some characters from the popular show Allo Allo, namely David Janson, Kim Hartman and Guy Siner. They seemed to spend all their time in an upstairs room at the Town Hall, answering questions. The room was packed and I thought it strange that the organisers would not want them to mingle more with visitors in the streets below. Those appearing on the small stage at street level included Jeep Johnson and The Ronnies.
With so many different events on offer, I doubt The Welshpool 1940s Weekend would be one at the top of my list to attend again next year.
Welshpool 1940s Weekend – Image Gallery
When I returned from the event I decided to process my images differently to my usual neutral style. I decided to try and give them a 1940’s colour treatment, essentially a desaurated look with no vivid colours present. It’s true that most people in the 1940’s would use black and white film but colour film did exist. For those looking for a quick way to get a 1940’s look there are a number of software options for digital camera users. One highly rated option is RNI All Films 5 which aims to mimic a selection of print and slide films throughout history. Their AgfaColor 1940’s presets seem to do a good job for those who use either Lightroom. Photoshop or Capture One editing software.
If you are thinking of attending a 1940s Weekend you might like to read some of my other articles from events I attended during the last couple of years.
