Roaring fun in the Forties

IF you thought the 1940s were all about rationing, bully beef and make-do-and-mend then a bunch of glamorous guys and gals will change your mind.

Walking into the Lancaster Club, Failsworth, is like stepping into a stylish time warp with the big swing band sound, GIs, silk stockings, the lindyhop, and Marlene Dietrich look-a-likes with perfect pouts.

Terry and Pam Szabo, from Chadderton, have been running the monthly Friends of the Forties night for five years and Terry cuts a smart figure in his slacks, tank top, bow tie and cap.

Meanwhile, Pam exudes screen glamour with her smart silk blouse and immaculate hair-do and make-up as she greets a steady stream of people.

The couple also organise other 1940s events, from the Jingle Bell Hop at the club and a St George’s Day Ball in Prestwich to the Savoy Seaside Swing weekend at Blackpool’s famous Art Deco hotel, as well as having the Jumpin’ Jitterbugs dance troupe.

Terry — aka DJ Katz Korner Hot Klub — soon sets toes tapping and it is not long before the dance floor fills up.

The Forties are practically a full-time job for the former printer and he explained how they got involved in the scene: “We both dance and I was invited to a 1940s evening about seven years ago. I was shown the dancing and loved the music.

“It’s a passion and we love it. People come because it is so different to today. They like to step back in time.”

Pam added: “We started going to other dances and then we started putting things on ourselves. It’s just grown. I love the music and I love the dancing.

“Everywhere you go you meet the same people and we end up in a big, friendly crowd.”

And of course there are the clothes — with the men just as fashion conscious as the women — and Pam explained: “I go out to work dressed like this, I love the clothing.

“You start collecting the clothes and you end up having to buy more wardrobes because you haven’t got enough places to put them! It is very addictive, once you start you can’t stop.”

Stylish trio Jane Gaunt, Lynne Bagshaw and Glenise Jones buy their clothes from dealers, scour second-hand shops and eBay and make their own.

They are known as re-enactors, attending Second World War events and weekends, and Glenise said: “Firstly we love the Forties music and that era, and the fashion is very glamorous.

“Secondly it is a tribute to our mums, dads and granddads who fought in the world wars, lest we forget.

“It takes over your life, you are lost in the Forties.”

As people take to the floor for a wartime blackout stroll, Jane agrees: “Your aches and pains disappear when you get the clothes on!”

A love of dancing evolved into a fascination for the era for Ian and Janet Wardlaw. Ian explained: “It is a bit of escapism. Nobody gets drunk or rowdy, it is just a nice, civilised atmosphere.”

And if women love a man in uniform, then pals Tommy Harrington, Sam Berry and Jay Derbyshire must get a few admiring glances.

They are members of North-West Military Collectors which takes part in battle re-enactments at popular wartime weekends such as Saddleworth and Bury.

As well as their uniforms — US Airborne and German — they also own military vehicles and joked that they wouldn’t mind a tank for Christmas.

Jay explained: “We do it for the remembrance, for the veterans that are dead and gone. Some people like football, we just like dressing up.”

While Tommy added: “When you do the battle re-enactments you get the bangs, the explosions, the smoke. We try to give people a sense of what it was like.

“It is like being on a film set, everybody gets involved.

“As well as the battles we also do the dancing. We do everything to get involved with the 1940s.”

Sam is the youngest of the three at 21 — proving that the scene attracts all ages — and said: “I have got a friend who never leaves the house. He just stays in playing computer games.

“Some of my mates think I am sad but I am out every weekend at camps. It gets me out and it gets me off the streets.”

The evening is held on the second Wednesday of the month. Visit www.katz-corner.com for details.

l See in the New Year with a Forties dance at the George Lawton Hall, Mossley, organised by Paul Dogtags, Jenny’s Military War and At Your Service. Contact 07709-052501 for details.