The Friends of Handforth Station took part in D-Day Commemorations on Saturday 1st June.

The Handforth D-Day Commemoration event was run by NAAFI Break Handforth, and featured stalls (from the FoHS and others), music, dancing and food&drink, at the Community Centre between lunchtime and evening.

Handforth was heavily involved in World War 2.

Quite apart from many men and women directly involved in the services, the RAF established a Maintenance Unit (RAF 61MU) in what were fields at the edge of the village, and the Army built a tank repair depot alongside the River Dean.

Both of those enterprises relied on the railways, and extensive extra tracks, junctions, sidings and more were built in Handforth to cope with them.

These works were dismantled by the mid 1980s, but traces of their presence still exist … if you know where to look.

The display shown by FoHS on 1st June illustrated Handforth Station’s involvement in WWII, as well as publicising the work of the Friends group at the station.

A drawing competition was also run, inviting local children to illustrate “What I Like to See out of the Train Window” – the top two prizes each being a family day rail pass generously provided by Northern Trains.

Mike Bishop, the President of FoHS, said “the FoHS love being involved with the local community in this manner, and were delighted to be able to share some of the history of our station and local railways.”

He thanked the NAAFI Break organisation for giving FoHS the opportunity to be involved.