Blitz and Pieces facts for kids
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| Location | Scratby, Great Yarmouth |
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| Type | Home Front and Dad's Army |
| Owner | Darren Stride |
Blitz and Pieces is a special museum in Scratby, Great Yarmouth, England. It is owned by Darren Stride. The museum shows what life was like on the British Home Front during World War II. It also features items from the funny BBC TV show Dad's Army.
The museum is set up in different buildings. These include a 1940s prefabricated building and a 1930s wooden military hut. There are also several large sheds. In 2014, the museum was a finalist in a TV show called George Clarke's Amazing Spaces: Shed of the Year. You can visit the museum by making an appointment.
Contents
How the Blitz and Pieces Museum Started
Darren Stride became interested in the 1940s when he was a little boy. He used to watch reruns of the BBC comedy Dad's Army with his grandfather, John Fenton. His grandfather was a soldier in the real Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment during World War II. The Home Guard group in Dad's Army was based on this regiment.
Before his grandfather passed away in 2001, he gave Darren his service medals. This gift started Darren's collection. Many items in the museum were given by people or visitors. For example, the display in the old chemist's shop came from a place called Yesterday's World in Great Yarmouth after it closed in 2014.
Exploring Blitz Street: Life During World War II
The museum is set up like a street called 'Blitz Street'. It shows what the British Home Front was like during World War II. You can see two old-fashioned shops, a chemist's and a grocer's. There is also a 1940s kitchen and living room, fully set up.
You can also explore an Anderson shelter with all its original items. The museum displays uniforms, helmets, and other things from World War II. A special part of the museum is a recreation of Captain Mainwaring's church hall office from Dad's Army.
Captain Mainwaring's Office: A Look at Dad's Army
Captain Mainwaring's office is inside a 1930s beach hut. This hut was used by the military during World War II. In the office, you can see real Home Guard uniforms. There's even a uniform and webbing that was used in the Dad's Army TV show.
The office also has many Dad's Army items. These include original props like half of the string used in filming an episode called "The Deadly Attachment". This was given by David Croft, one of the show's creators. The other half of the string is owned by Jimmy Perry, another creator.
In 2014, Blitz and Pieces was a finalist in the 'Shed of the Year' competition. This competition was shown on Channel 4.
Images for kids
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A corner of Captain Mainwaring's office
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A corner of the grocer's shop
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A view of the 1940s living room
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A view of the 1940s kitchen
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The Anderson shelter display
