BROWNIES brought a touch of Dad's Army to a New Forest village at the weekend.

Youngsters taking part in the annual Netley Marsh carnival created a scene straight out of Walming-ton-on-Sea.

Members of the 2nd Netley Marsh Brownies wore the type of clothes seen in the early 1940s. Adult members of the group dressed up as ARP wardens, complete with blue boiler suits and tin hats.

Brownies captured the wartime atmosphere by ducking down every time a hidden tape recorder played the sound of an air raid siren.

The procession was led by the carnival queen, Laura Kitcher, 11, and her two princesses, Hannah Pasotti, eight, and Gemma Hurst, nine.

They were followed by Copythorne Scout Band and various groups of children depicting well-known characters from nostalgic films and stage shows. The colourful line-up included chimney sweeps, pearly kings and queens and the students from Grease.

Floats had to negotiate several sets of temporary traffic lights as they made their way from the Gamekeeper pub to St Matthew's Church Hall.

The procession was followed by a May fair and a disco.

Carnival results: Group float: 1, Netley Marsh Venture Scouts. Group walking: 1, Rufus Cubs; 2, Netley Marsh Beavers; 3, Netley Marsh Guides. Non-group walking: 1, Netley Marsh Infants School; 2, Kelly Downer.

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.