Weymouth Museum’s ‘Teas and Talks’ return for the autumn, and we are delighted to welcome Kay Townsend to talk about ‘Fairgrounds in Dorset in the War’.
Kay will talk about:
• 1939 most fairs were cancelled, with many showmen driven from the business
• Propaganda printed against showmen
• Few drivers, their men drained away by the Services
• Police searched living wagons and confiscated radios
• Rifle-range bore shortage meant restricted opening for shooting galleries
• Prize shortage for the stalls
• Landmines destroyed everything
• Penny arcade blown to pieces
About Kay:
“If I say to local people my name’s Townsend, they often say, ‘What, the Fair people from Chickerell?’ Which is true, that’s who I am. My family’s been here in Putton Lane since 1933. When my Granny bought the land, it was a turnip field in winter, and of course it was very, very muddy; we had heavy traction engines to put in the field, so we bought cartloads of ‘bats’, which are reject bricks, from the local brickworks and made a road right down through the field. That was the beginning of our showman’s yard. We had traction engines for many years, with dynamos powering the rides and lights. I launched my last book standing in front of our old engine, ‘Queen Mary’, and that was a very special moment for me. Writing about my family’s way of life and the history of showmen has been very important to me, and it’s good to preserve and pass on the stories. I wouldn’t change my upbringing for anything, because who I was yesterday makes me who I am today.”
About the event:
Doors open at 2 pm. Light refreshments are included in the ticket price. All are welcome to attend.
