THE popular Ramsey 1940s Weekend is moving to a new home for 2011.

The event has been staged at RAF Upwood for the last six years but, because parts of the land and buildings are being marketed for leasing, the organisers have had to find a new venue for the nostalgia weekend and hangar dance.

The organising committee has now secured the former army camp in Wood Lane, Ramsey – a site that is close to the town’s Rural Museum.

Lord de Ramsey, who owns the 10-acre site, has provided the committee with a tenancy for the old camp and an adjacent field.

“This means that the weekend event will be bigger and better and we have these facilities to use all year round,” said a spokesman.

The Ramsey 1940s Weekend will take place on August 20 and 21 and will once again include living history displays, aerial shows, vintage vehicles and stalls as well as a 1940s-themed dance.

The new location has created a new link between the 1940s Weekend and Ramsey Rural Museum with plans being drawn up for displays about the WRVS, land girls, life on farms, the ‘Dig for Victory’ campaign and evacuees.

The move to the army camp has also sparked a search for information about the area.

It is documented that the site was first used by the army in 1939 – it was believed to have accommoded an anti-aircraft battery.

It was also used in May and June 1940 to accommodate some of the troops evacuated from Dunkirk.

In the 1950s it was used as civilian accommodation.

However, the 1940s Weekend volunteers want to piece together as much detail as possible about the camp with the aim of displaying the history at the event.

The organising committee has also set up a new website �– www.ramsey1940sweekend.info – providing news, pictures and a map of where to find the new venue.

INFORMATION: More volunteers are needed to help with the weekend. E-mail ramsey1940sweekend@live.co.uk