Carnforth to host 1940s weekend to celebrate Brief Encounter

The June 28 and 29 event will be held at Carnforth Station, which featured in the film as the fictional Milford Junction and played a vital role during the Second World War.

Suzie Reynolds of nearby Leighton Hall, which partners with Carnforth Station for group visits, said: "Regularly voted most loved British film of all time, who still doesn’t get ‘something in their eye’ watching Brief Encounter?

'Brief Encounter' poster (Image: Supplied) "The 1940s weekend will be a wonderful celebration, and chance to share more stories, like the one about the time my mother-in-law claimed to have unintentionally helped a German prisoner of war escape… ask me when you next visit the Hall for the full story."

The event will include re-enactments, live music and performances, military vehicles from the Military Vehicle Trust, fairground attractions, a model railway, vintage cars and tractors, stalls, a catwalk, jive classes, and refreshments.

The weekend also aims to honour the real-life wartime contributions of the area and its people.

Helen Reynolds was among the volunteers who served food and drink to troops passing through Carnforth Station during the war (Image: Supplied) Mrs Reynolds' mother-in-law, Helen Reynolds, was among the volunteers who served food and drink to troops passing through Carnforth Station during the war.

Mrs Reynolds said: "Instead, she was sent out on the platform where, when troop trains slowed down to pass through, she ran up and down the platform with tea made in a fire bucket, so the soldiers could lean out and scoop it up in their mugs."

Helen Reynolds and her husband, Major Reynolds, had initially offered Leighton Hall as a hospital, but the War Office rejected it due to the water supply.

Undeterred, they opened their home to servicemen from France, Poland, Canada, and Australia who were unable to return home on leave during the war.

Many of these men became close friends of the family.

Among the memorabilia now on display at Leighton Hall is a gift from Ed Hinke, a Canadian serviceman who was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Ed Hinke in his service uniform (Image: Supplied) Mr Reynolds said: "He won the Distinguished Flying Cross, and asked my mother-in-law to accompany him to the presentation at Buckingham Palace.

"We have his diary entry recounting the day along with his picture, and a globe he gifted us."

The items are now on display in the hall’s Music Room, a space where visiting servicemen once gathered to play piano, sing, and relax away from the front lines.

Among the memorabilia now on display at Leighton Hall is a globe, a gift from Ed Hinke, a Canadian serviceman (Image: Supplied) Carnforth’s 1940s Weekend is being held in conjunction with Armed Forces Day on Saturday, June 28.

The event not only commemorates the filming of Brief Encounter but also celebrates the region’s practical and cultural contributions to the war effort, serving as a tribute to the stories and sacrifices of those who lived through the era.

For more information and updates, visit www.carnforthheritage.co.uk.