Step back in time and experience the sights, sounds, and smells of the Second World War. Cassel is a town perched on a rare hill in Flanders and from its summit one can see hundreds of towns and villages and on a clear day all the way back to the coast and Dunkirk. It was also the same hill the Grand Old Duke of York marched up and down back in the 18th Century. But on 27-29 May 1940, this was where the Ox & Bucks and Gloucesters made a defiant stand, holding off the German onslaught and buying time while more British troops fell back to Dunkirk and were evacuated to England. It was a heroic stand, in which most of the 145th Brigade were lost – either killed, wounded or captured.  Some, though, did manage to escape but only a few. This year, our trench re-enacts a scene from this vital battle. The first German attacks have been repelled but the defenders know the time will come when ammunition will run low and sheer weight of enemy numbers will overwhelm them. It’s the shortest of straws they’ve drawn but all know that they have a vital role to play: with every passing hour and day, more men of the BEF will be able to get to Dunkirk and then be safely lifted home. And if that happens, the British Army can live to fight another day and not all will be lost. Please be aware, there will be smoke, loud noises and the sound of gunfire during the experience.