CROWDS gathered to Caldicot Castle over the weekend as Wartime Wheels returned for a second year.

Visitors came and joined in the fun of the bank holiday weekend event of wheeled and tracked classic military vehicles, and living history displays in a beautiful setting.

Held on 6th and 7th May, free entry and some exceptional exhibits brought in tremendous crowds both last year and again this year. The castle was packed full of Second World War era machines and from other military eras, equipment and re-enactors. 

With larger and heavier vehicles displayed in the grounds of the castle. British, American and German World War Two military exhibits including motorcycles, jeeps, trucks and tracked armoured vehicles were on display. With vintage military vehicles and displays from the time of the Vietnam war to the 1980s.

Among the exhibitors was Jeremy Tobin from Tintern, who drove the 15 miles to Caldicot in his restored Bedford MW, originally built in 1939.

Jeremy is a carpenter and spends his recreational time renovating old wartime vehicles, and has rebuilt a Norton motorcycle, restored a Jeep and an Austin Champ Jeep.

His final project, the Bedford MW, was used in the 1990s in a zoo in North Wales before eventually being found in Leamington Spa in a greenhouse in 2013. Since then Jeremy has been rebuilding the vehicle and it remains his last passion.

Jeremy drove the Bedford MV the 15 miles from Tintern to the event, the first time this vehicle has been used since its restoration. He believes this is the oldest surviving version of this vehicle in the country.

After spending years procuring the parts for this vehicle from all over the world, Jeremy said: “After this one I will stop.”

“It’s a really friendly great weekend, loads of people, lovely location and we even booked the weather well in advance,” he added.

Photos courtesy of Byron Calloway