THERE’LL be help for heroes of the Second World War at next year’s War and Peace Show. Everyone who served in the War is invited to attend free.

This follows the popularity of this year’s Show among veterans, when those who took part in the Normandy Invasion and the Battle of Arnhem were invited free.

Many were able to meet ‘The Forces Sweetheart’ Dame Vera Lynn, who signed autographs and was photographed with them. Dame Vera, whose recently released album topped the charts, has been invited to attend this year’s Show.

Veterans also had a chance to see once again, some of the vehicles, guns and other equipment with which they achieved victory.

Organiser Rex Cadman said: “We think it’s only fair to extend the invitation to all Second World War veterans wherever they served. They all contributed to the eventual victory and as far as I am concerned are all heroes”.

The War and Peace Show is the world’s biggest military vehicle spectacular and takes place at The Hop Farm, Paddock Wood, Kent. In addition to military vehicles there are living history displays, mock battles, 1940s style music, dancing and comedy, and the most extensive stall market for military memorabilia anywhere.

At this year’s show £15,000 was raised for the charity Help for Heroes.

The 2010 Show takes place from 21st - 25th July.

For further information contact Jacqui Curtis, Marketing Executive on 01622 870804 email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or Peter Cook on 01795 536915/07796 172680 This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Family tickets to the War and Peace Show will be available shortly from www.thehopfarm.co.uk

THIS year's War and Peace Show was the most successful ever.

Organiser Rex Cadman said military vehicle entries exceeded every other year and living history entries were higher than ever before.

Speaking at the Show's annual Thank You Dinner, at The Hop Farm, Paddock Wood, Kent, last Thursday, he said visitor numbers were also up.

The dinner was for people who helped make the Show a success, each of whom was presented with a special plaque.

"We did have concerns about the 2009 Show, in the light of the financial difficulties people are facing at this time," he said. "I'm glad to say our worries were unfounded."

Mr Cadman added that Tonbridge and Malling Council had been closely involved both in the planning stages and throughout the Show. However very few problems arose and those that did were dealt with very quickly.

Turning to next year's Show he said there would be major displays to commemorate the evacuation of Dunkirk and the Battle of Britain, marking the 70^th anniversary of both events. The Show would also celebrate the 65^th anniversary of the end of the War in Europe.

The 2010 War and Peace Show will be held at The Hop Farm, Paddock Wood, from 21 to 25 July.

Hello my name is Mark, we attended this year's show and WOW what a show!!!!!!

NLBA (North London Barmy Army) Charity Fund Raising at War and Peace Show

Every year the NLBA chooses to help raise money for a different charity.  This year we chose COSMIC (Children of St Mary’s Intensive Care) www.cosmiccharity.com as one of our member’s nephews is being treated there.

	Every year at the War and Peace Show the NLBA has their party on the Tuesday night.  Over the last couple of years we have used this as a fund raiser for our chosen charity.  Following on from last year’s success Elvis was rebooked, with an admission price of £5 which included beer, a burger or hotdog and a disco and we also hold a raffle. This year the party night raised a total of £1200 which is up on last year’s amount and a couple of younger members carried out a 12-hour sponsored silence and raised £154.
	A few of you will know one of the members, Mario, better known to the NLBA as Blobby.  On Saturday afternoon, after a few beers. Mario, who was last seen clean shaven around 12 years ago, was persuaded to shave off his beard for charity. Many beers later Mario was brought up to the NLBA tent and was ratchet-strapped to a chair whilst a female member managed to shave him without drawing blood.  For submitting to this he managed to raise over £600. With other donations and collection buckets we raised an excess of £2000 at the show.
	Whilst at the War and Peace Show the NLBA  also donated a cheque for £3000 to last year's chosen charity, Help for Heroes.
	We would like to thank everyone that supported our Elvis night and donated to COSMIC charity.  Please come along and join us at next year's War and Peace on the Tuesday night.  It's all for a good cause. NLBA Charity Fund Raising at War and Peace Show

Please find a link to the War and Peace 2009 Show pictures from Rolling Thunder http://www.rolling-thunder.org.uk/2009BELTRING.htm

Instead of the usual slow start, people began arriving thick and fast, and Joanne Bater's NAAFI Wagon was soon doing brisk business supplying the now traditional tea and bread pudding breakfast.

The focus was on the Normandy Campaign and the Battle of Arnhem, which took place 65 years ago. Among the crowds and gathered around tables in the Victory Marquee were dozens of blue and red berets belonging to veterans of both campaigns.

On Saturday they were rewarded by a visit from "the Forces Sweetheart" herself, Dame Vera Lynn. Despite her 92 years, Dame Vera signed dozens of autographs, shook hands with veterans, exchanged memories and posed for hundreds of photographs. 

Among the military vehicles at the show were several that saw action on the Normandy beaches, most notably the powerful Caterpillar D8 bulldozer, which visited Normandy again this year, and Rex Cadman's Sherman BARV.

Perhaps more elegant was the Rolls Royce Silver Wraith which unloaded from a tank landing craft on D-Day + 3, and which General Montgomery used throughout the campaign.  It now lives in the Royal Logistics Corps Museum at Deepcut.

Batting for the other side was Bruce Crompton's deadly looking 88mm gun and transporter, which took the prize for the best German exhibit. This "tank buster" might have sent shivers down the spines of veterans who saw it.

Visitors were rewarded with dozens of new displays. 

How many people knew the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch Light Railway ran an armoured train with machine gunners who downed at least one German fighter? Yet there was a replica of the train with a display of its wartime history, just down from the Victory Marquee.

On the Sunday we were visited by Lachhima Gurung, reminding us there was a war in the Far East as well as in Europe. Lachhima was awarded the VC after beating off a ferocious attack from the Japanese despite being badly wounded.

The First World War is usually under represented at War and Peace. This year the vehicle voted Best In Show was a Pierce Arrow dating from 1915, which saw service in France during the Great War. There was also a living history display depicting a typical First World War trench.

An army marches on its stomach, so they say, and the Royal Logistics Museum display showed how the thousands of men awaiting embarkation for Normandy were provided with good healthy meals despite a lack of facilities. Dixies of nourishing stew were brewed up on camp ovens constructed of nothing more than mud and bricks.

There were changes to the entertainment programme this year with many of the acts concentrated into a two-hour afternoon variety show, although there was still plenty going on at other times, with the authentic wartime sounds of the Jive Aces, the Swingtime Sweethearts and Kas.

Overhead the massive, powerful Lancaster bomber contrasted massively with the tiny fragile Piper Cub spotter plane belonging to Anthony Bendkowski. And who can fail to be thrilled by the throaty roar of the Spitfire which zoomed overhead, accompanied this year for the first time by a Messerschmitt. 

Everyone with an interest in military history would have found something to fascinate them at the War and Peace Show this year. Those with no particular interest would also found the event to be an exciting and entertaining day out.