BOB and Shirley James from Badsey near Evesham were huge fans of Second World War vehicles, memorabilia and buildings. They had their own collection of military vehicles and saved a number of Nissen huts from being destroyed.

They also enjoyed steam engine rallies and decided to open up their 40-acre site at Ashdown Farm for steam shows.

After a couple of years the couple came up with the idea of staging a Second World War event on the farm and ‘Wartime in the Vale’ – now one of the top four military shows in the country – was conceived.

The two-day event, celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, simply grew and grew and is expected to attract around 12,000 visitors over the weekend of June 17 and 18 when a corner of the Vale of Evesham will be transported back to the 1940s with its wartime spirit.

The show is now run by their friend, wartime memorabilia collector and Second World War re-enactment fan Amy Jelfs, who took it on after Bob died last year. Shirley passed away in 2014.

Amy first got involved with the show about five years ago. “I have collected military memorabilia for 20 years and I had been a re-enactor - I was a nurse for the American WWII 50th Field Hospital - and I live two miles from the camp.

“I came along as a visitor when it first started and I got to know Bob and I joined Ashdown club and I have been involved since then. Bob asked me to run the show and look after it as he wanted it run.”

Bob and Shirley’s daughter Emma help out and deals with all the enactors.

Amy added: “I do not think it was Bob and Shirley’s initial idea to have such a big show. I think they were just pleased people came and enjoyed themselves because they had visited many shows over the years. It did grow quite quickly.”

This year there will be more than 600 displays with in excess of 400 military vehicles, including six tanks which have to be transported on low loaders. There will also be a Battle of Britain flypast and a battle re-enactment as well as many more attractions.

New for this year, said Amy, are two working Merlin aircraft engines, which she says will sound amazing. They will stand next to a full-size static model of a Spitfire plane.

The site now has 12 restored Nissen huts containing a range of wartime displays including an RAF operations room, a hospital, a chapel, an armoury, women’s Land Army display, a NAFFI canteen serving tea and cakes and a Home Front display.

There are also Anderson air raid shelters, a Stanton air road shelter with a light and sound effects, Morrison shelters, a watch tower, anti-tank cylinders, a guard hut, search lights and many more original items to take people back to the 1940s.

Entertainment will include enactments involving more than 250 military and civilian characters, 1940s entertainment, arena events, a children’s fair, mini tank rides, a Battle of Britain flypast and much more. Visitors are encouraged to dress in clothes from the period.

Amy said the show attracts huge numbers of people from all over the country and some from Europe. “Some visitors have come from Belgium and France and he had someone come from Australia once. We had one person who came from America so he could drive a particular vehicle.”

She said they had about 10,000 people attended last year’s show but they are hoping for 12,000 this year because of its 10th anniversary. “There is a lot of enthusiasm for these shows and it is very family friendly. We have a huge pyrotechnic display this year to celebrate 10 years which is why we’re calling it the ‘Big Bang Show’.

She said the show attracts a lot of military vehicle enthusiasts but the Home Front side of it with the vintage clothes is very popular now.

Over the years the show has diversified from focusing on military vehicles to offering a wide range of attractions for all the family including dance classes for swing, jive and Lindy hop. Visitors are invited to dress in period costume to get in the mood and there is camping available. For more information visit http://www.ashdowncamp.com/events.html

Amy said: “It is a huge logistical nightmare to organise but it is fun. I probably lose a stone in weight in the run up to it. It is my hobby and my passion. I absolutely love the camp. I love engines and old machinery and I love the whole fashion thing from the 1940s.”

Wychavon Tourism officer Angela Tidmarsh said: “Wartime in the Vale is a massively popular event. It is great. The reputation of this event has grown enormously. The exhibits are really good and what they have done with the show, they have done incredibly well and the reputation of the event is such that people travel a long way to go to it.

“The Vale is renowned for an excellent variety of festivals and events throughout the year and Wartime in the Vale is one of the major ones. It is hugely beneficial to Evesham.

“The interest in World War II vehicles and the history and heritage and nostalgia about the 1940s has grown. The show is the only glimpse a lot of people, including children, will have into that period.”