Town marks special Glenn Miller anniversary weekend

BBC May Rose wearing a yellow top with a pink and white flower brooch BBC
May Blossom said Glenn Miller was very well known in the town during his time here

Events to mark the anniversary of the disappearance of big band leader Glenn Miller have been taking place in the town where he was billeted during World War Two.

The Glenn Miller Memorial Weekend, in Bedford, marked the 80th anniversary of the day he boarded an aircraft at RAF Twinwood Airfield, in nearby Clapham, never to be seen again.

The memorial took place at the Twinwood Aviation Museum, at 13:55 GMT - the precise time Miller's flight departed.

Organiser May Blossom said there were still people in Bedford who remembered his last performance in the Corn Exchange.

Row of green army jeeps with people standing around it
The event in memory of Glenn Miller attracted visitors from outside the region

Visitor celebrated with live performances in Harpur Square, as well as Lindy Hop dance taster sessions, a tea dance, talks and tours - and an exhibition of World War Two vehicles.

Glenn Miller's band spent five months in Bedford, based at Milton Ernest Hall, delighting troops at military bases and performing for BBC broadcasts to boost morale.

His swing orchestra became known in the 1930s and 1940s for hits such as In The Mood and Chattanooga Choo Choo.

People dancing - holding hands - on  wooden floor, with American and British flags draped on the walls
A weekend of events were held in Bedford to mark the 80th anniversary of Glenn Miller's disappearance

Enthusiast Ian Dawson said: "You go to a swing dance, people might be twiddling their thumbs but once they put In the Mood on, everyone's on the floor.

"The music [Glenn Miller] was fabulous and the fact that he was here entertaining the troops."

Miller's plane went down over the English Channel on 15 December 1944.

His full name - Major Alton G Miller - is included on the Wall of the Missing at the Cambridge American Cemetery at Madingley.

Glenn Miller plaque- a grey slate with writing in white
Walking tours were held in memory of Glenn Miller

Singer May Blossom, who organised the commemorative events in Bedford, said of the band: "They lived in the town, they rehearsed, they broadcasted, so they were very well known to the people of Bedford.

"Just round the corner from here, he gave his last performance in the Corn Exchange.

"There are people in Bedford who still remember the event."

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