Thousands of people turned back the clock to the 1940s to celebrate Batley Vintage Day.

Visitors, many in period costume, relived the sights and sounds of wartime Britain.

And heads turned to the skies at the end of the day as a Spitfire from the RAF’s Battle of Britain Memorial Flight completed a flypast.

Watch the flypast here!

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Batley town centre came alive on Saturday with a vintage market and a stage hosting live music and dance.

Last year 20,000 people attended and this time organisers believe the total will be even higher.

The Spitfire flypast at Batley Vintage Day
The Spitfire flypast at Batley Vintage Day

One of the organisers, Andrew Marsden, chairman of Batley Business Association, said: “Last year’s attendance was 20,000 and this year felt a lot busier, even from the start in the morning.

Mr and Mrs Davenport, from Lancashire, at Batley Vintage Day in Batley town centre. Pic by: Mike Clark

“People were also staying a lot longer and it was a great day.”

People come from far and wide to the event only in its third year. “People think we’ve been going a lot longer,” said Andrew. “And we take that as a big compliment.”

It had been hoped a Lancaster bomber would perform the flypast but organisers heard on Friday that the Lancaster wasn’t currently flying and it would be a Spitfire instead.

Batley Vintage Day in Batley town centre. Pic by: Mike Clark

The flypast took place at just after 4pm, around two hours later than billed.

“A Lancaster would have been nice but a Spitfire is not a bad substitute,” said Andrew. “People stayed around and in the five minutes before the plane arrived a hush descended over the event.

Batley Vintage Day in Batley town centre

“It’s almost as if people stop talking and stand motionless looking at the skies. It’s quite a surreal experience.”

Andrew said Batley Vintage Day was now one of the top three best attended community events in Kirklees.