The War and Peace Revival (also called the War and Peace Show [1] ) was a military vehicle show, militaria fair and living history re-enactment from the First World War to more recent conflicts.[ citation needed ] War and Peace Show was held annually over several days (usually in late July). Till 2019 at the Hop Farm Country Park, Kent, England [2] (for four years between 2013 and 2016 it was held at Folkestone Racecourse (RAF Westenhanger) [3] ).
The revival hosted around 4000 military vehicles [4] including tanks, armoured personnel carriers, armoured cars, amphibious vehicles, motorcycles, as well as light, medium and heavy military wheeled vehicles. The 2015 show attracted over 100,000 visitors during its five days. [5] The armoured vehicles that participate in the show include those from The Wheatcroft Collection and the Jon Phillips Armor Collection. [6]
A part of the show revolved around the different re-enactors that portray various armies, units and events during armed conflicts during the 20th century. Especially prominent are Allied and Axis forces from the World War II, with mock battles staged in main arena using period vehicles, re-enactors and pyrotechnics.
Between 2013 and 2016 the show relocated to Folkestone Racecourse (which for a time in 1944 was known as RAF Westenhanger (after the nearby village)) and changed its name to the War and Peace Revival. [7] On 23 June 2015 organisers Rex Cadman and Barbara Shea announced that they would be retiring after the 2015 show. On Saturday 25 July 2015 it was confirmed that John Allison and his team would be taking over the show on 1 August 2015. [8] They ran the show at the Hop Farm Country Park, Kent, England until 2019, due to Covid.
Folkestone is a coastal town on the English Channel, in Kent, south-east England. The town lies on the southern edge of the North Downs at a valley between two cliffs. It was an important harbour, shipping port, and fashionable coastal resort for most of the 19th and mid-20th centuries.
Folkestone and Hythe is a local government district in Kent, England. It lies in the south-east of the county, on the coast of the English Channel. The district was formed in 1974 and was originally named Shepway after one of the ancient lathes of Kent, which had covered a similar area. The district was renamed in 2018. The council is based in Folkestone, the district's largest town. The district also includes the towns of Hawkinge, Hythe, Lydd and New Romney, along with numerous villages and surrounding rural areas.
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Operation Motorman was a large operation carried out by the British Army in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. The operation took place in the early hours of 31 July 1972 with the aim of retaking the "no-go areas" that had been established in Belfast and other urban centres. In Derry, Operation Carcan, initially proposed as a separate operation, was executed as part of Motorman.
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Folkestone Racecourse was a thoroughbred horse racing venue in southeast England, until it closed in 2012. It is located in Westenhanger, by junction 11 of the M20 motorway and about 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Folkestone. The course remains closed and all running rail and steeplechase fences have been removed. In May 2016 it was revealed that the land covered by the racecourse forms part of a plan to develop and build housing. It is now unkempt and in a state of disrepair.
The Hop Farm is a 400-acre (1.6 km2) Country Park in Beltring, near East Peckham in the English county of Kent. The farm is over 450 years old and has the largest collection of oast houses in the world.
Stanford is a village and civil parish in Kent, England. It is part of the Folkestone and Hythe district.
The REME Museum, also known as the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Museum, is a military museum of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME); the corps of the British Army responsible for the maintenance, servicing, inspection, and recovery of electrical and mechanical vehicles and equipment. The museum holds collections of technological and historical artefacts associated with the work of the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.
The Bison was an improvised fighting vehicle frequently characterised as a mobile pillbox. Bisons were produced in Britain during the invasion crisis of 1940-1941. Based on a number of different lorry chassis, it featured a fighting compartment protected by a layer of concrete. Bisons were used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) to protect aerodromes and by the Home Guard. They acquired the generic name "Bison" from their main manufacturer.
Westenhanger Castle is a fortified manor house once owned by royalty, located next to Westenhanger railway station and the grandstand of Folkestone Racecourse in Kent. The castle has endured a period of steady decline to near ruination in recent years, but the current owners have engaged a programme of consolidation, conservation and restoration to the castle and adjoining buildings. It is now being used as a conference and wedding venue.
Castlemartin Training Area is a British Army military training area and armoured fighting vehicle range located in the Welsh county of Pembrokeshire. It was originally established for tank training by the Royal Armoured Corps in 1938. The training area is located within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, on the South Pembrokeshire coast.
Operation Ellamy was the codename for the United Kingdom participation in the 2011 military intervention in Libya. The operation was part of an international coalition aimed at enforcing a Libyan no-fly zone in accordance with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 which stipulated that "all necessary measures" shall be taken to protect civilians. The coalition operation was designated by NATO as Operation Unified Protector, by the US as Operation Odyssey Dawn. The Canadian participation as Operation Mobile and the French participation as Opération Harmattan. It was confirmed in December 2011 that the cost of the operations was £212m – less than was estimated, including £67m for replacing spent munitions, is all expected to be met from the Treasury reserve.
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