An RAF fighter flypast and a parade featuring Second World War-era farm vehicles will take place at the Nottinghamshire County Show to mark VE Day this weekend.

Organisers of the event, which takes place at the Newark Showground on Saturday, have put together the line-up in order to join in with the UK-wide VE Day commemorations and also recognise the role Nottinghamshire’s farmers played in the war.

It will also celebrate the long history of the show, which dates back to 1868 and is being held for the 140th time this year.

The flypast, which will feature a Spitfire from the RAF’s Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and is scheduled for just after noon, has become a popular fixture in the county show, which attracts thousands of people every year.

The show will start at 9 am and among the main events will be a motorcycle stunt display, livestock competitions featuring prize-winning cattle, sheep and pigs, equestrian displays, food and drink stalls, and the show’s Make, Bake and Grow section.

There is also a farrier competition, lawnmower racing organised by the Notts Young Farmers Clubs, music, and a community zone featuring local organisations and cookery demonstrations throughout the day.

The VE Day parade will take place in the main ring, starting with heavy horses, which were still responsible for doing the vast majority of the draft work on farms, including pulling ploughs, at the outbreak of the war.

They will then give way to farming equipment and vehicles, including tractors and an appearance from a Willys Jeep, the US Army surplus vehicle which became hugely popular with British farmers after the war.

The parade will also feature music from three bands: the South Notts Hussars Association Band, the Mansfield District Corps of Drums, and the Nottingham Boys’ Brigade and Girls Association.

It has been organised by military and agricultural historian Ben Skipper, who is an associate member of the Royal Aeronautical Society and the Pen and Sword Club, and a full member of the British Guild of Agricultural Journalists.

He said: “The parade will act as a snapshot of how local agriculture developed during the war, starting with the heavy horses, which were still very much in use in Britain because agriculture was actually in decline at the time and not as advanced as in other countries.

“Technology caught up during the war, especially as Britain was able to import equipment from elsewhere. Farmers were paid to plough up grassland and plant potatoes and wheat, which became a staple part of the country’s wartime diet.

“The parade will also reflect on the people who worked on the farms. There were the Land Girls, of course, but a great many other people, including evacuated families and conscientious objectors, were helping to harvest food in Nottinghamshire during the war as well.”

The county show is held each year by the Newark and Nottinghamshire Agricultural Society (NNAS), which is a registered charity dedicated to promoting, celebrating, and championing agriculture across the Midlands region.

Show organiser Elizabeth Halsall said: “It is so important for us to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day and remember the wartime generation who worked in the fields as well as serving their country on the frontline.

“The flypast and VE Day parade will be a perfect way to remember them, and I’m sure they will be a high point in what is set to be a packed and busy county show.”

Tickets are now on sale, and for more information, visit www.nottinghamshirecountyshow.com.

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