A PAIR of 85-year-old Barry twins presented their school artwork from VE Day 1945 to a class of the town’s senior citizens in a special ‘Victory in Europe Day’ celebration at the Barry War Museum & Heritage Centre on 8th May.
Veronica Kirby and Valerie Giddings, along with over 12 local seniors with a combined age of over 1,000 years, shared memories and stories about the celebrations that marked the end of World War Two. Entertained by local singer Mandy Magrin, the museum’s special guests enjoyed a rousing singalong while they talked about their wartime memories in Barry, with lunch catering provided by museum volunteer Margaret Hutcheson and others.
Earlier in the day, a school group from St Andrews Major CiW Primary School, Dinas Powys were given a tour of the museum at its Barry Island Station home. It features an original World War Two Anderson shelter, a 1940s kitchen, and a World War One trench. The museum is brought further alive with volunteer re-enactors telling the story of the Home Front, as well as of the armed services and Home Guard.
at the party.
Barry’s only museum offers a programme of free historical talks on local and military history and is run by a community of volunteers. It has a Trip Advisor rating of 5.0 – the highest rating of any local tourist attraction.
The Museum runs a schools visit programme offering an ‘evacuee experience’, telling the story of how children escaped the Nazi bombing of their homes with war-time re-enactors bringing alive its lessons.
“Our VE Day celebrations remembered the stories and sacrifices made by former generations so we today can enjoy freedom and liberty. It was a true honour and great pleasure to welcome our special guests and to mark a momentous occasion in our history,” said Glenn Booker, the chair of the Barry at War Group which runs the museum.
Anyone interested in spending an hour or two helping out at the museum should email or visit here.
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