IT is difficult to imagine today, but the quiet village of Brancepeth was once at the very heart of the nation's stand against the threat of Nazi invasion.

For generations, the village, which nestles in the shadow of Brancepeth Castle just a couple of miles from Durham City, had gone about life at its own sedate pace - bringing in the harvest, looking after the castle's estate, services in the church, teas and dances at the village hall.

All that changed on the outbreak of war. Threatened by Hitler's bombers, the Durham Light Infantry moved its regimental headquarters from Newcastle to Brancepeth and, while the officers took up residence in the castle, thousands of infantrymen set up camp on the surrounding fields.

Before long, 2,000 soldiers and up to 1,000 ATS women were living in hastily-erected barrack huts nearby, the roads which once echoed to the clip-clop of horse and cart were filled with the roar of Army lorries, woodland birdsong was replaced with the whip-crack of the rifle ranges and everything from canteens to cinemas were springing up where once had been farmland.

Later this month, 60 years on from VE Day, the present-day villagers of Brancepeth are planning to step back in time to commemorate those dark days.

Villagers Jim Merrington and Vivienne Lowe are among those who have successfully applied for a £9,000 Big Lottery grant to stage the celebration.

The group has put together an exhibition of hundreds of photographs from the Forties which capture that long forgotten era and now they are looking for anyone who has memories of serving at Brancepeth to get in touch.

Mr Merrington said: "We are looking for people who have memories of that time, stories or photos or anyone who knows any details about the village and the camp.

"We want to hear from all the soldiers and anyone who served on the Home Front at Brancepeth.

"Brancepeth has always been a sleepy little estate village but during the war it was a garrison town. You could say it was under occupation."

The sleepy village and its 250 residents developed something of a cosmopolitan air. Along with the ever-changing young soldiers who carried out their basic training before moving off to every theatre of war, among them a young Capt Ted Short, the future Education Minister Lord Glenamara, there were units of the Polish Army, units of the Royal Signals who trained carrier pigeons to bring back messages from occupied Norway and even a cell of the shadowy Special Operations Executive, who trained for raids behind enemy lines from the camp.

The DLI stayed after the war, finally leaving in 1962, and all signs of the camp are now gone - although the search continues for its long-forgotten air raid shelter - and if the villagers were sad to see the soldiers arrive, they were sadder to see them go.

Mr Merrington said: "At first they didn't like the Army here at all. They requisitioned the village hall and all these thousands of people arrived, turning life upside down, but by the end of the war the links between the village and the Army were very close and very strong."

He said they hoped young people would come to meet the older people who may have memories to share.

"Some of these people are in their nineties - it is an opportunity which might not come around again."

Anyone who has memories of wartime Brancepeth can contact Jim Merrington on (0191) 378 0952 or Vivienne Lowe on (0191) 378 0974.

* Brancepeth's VE Day celebrations take place over three days:

Friday, May 27 Billed as a quieter day aimed mainly at former servicemen and women who were stationed at Brancepeth and schoolchildren, the exhibition featuring hundreds of photographs of the village and camp during the war will be open, there will be tours of the castle and tours of the recently-refurbished church.

Saturday, May 28 A day-long celebration of Brancepeth at war. Starting at 10am there will be tours of the church and castle, viewing of the exhibition, stalls and displays; music from the Borneo Band and Bugles and Durham Army Cadet Force Band; a display of dozens of vintage cars and Army vehicles; a Dig For Victory display by the village gardening club; the church bells will be rung for the first time since their restoration; at 7.30pm there will be a Forties dance featuring the Ray Chester Big Eight in the village hall - admission is by ration book, which entitles guests to a wartime ration box, although there will be a black market stall to buy bananas, nylons and chocolate.

Sunday, May 29 An afternoon street party will be held to commemorate Victory In Europe in the village