LOOKING at Allen Ambridge’s photographs is like taking a step back in time.

It is hard to believe that his carefully composed scenes were taken in the 21st century and not in the 1940s, when the Second World War was raging.

Allen, of Bingley, leads a double life as an American Second World War photographer, plying his trade at historic reenactments such as wartime weekends in Haworth, Embsay and Bolton Abbey, and in Pickering, North Yorkshire.

Whether a group of soldiers keeping watch from a trench, the dramatic sweep of a place over enemy lines, or a gaggle of civilians having a laugh, the scenes he captures could easily have been captured during that time, and are made all the more authentic by Allen’s use of period cameras, chosen from his own collection.

Such experiences are not entirely new to Allen - he trained and worked as a forces film photographer. Joining the RAF in 1966, he was stationed at RAF Gaydon in Warwickshire, followed by Cranwell and later Tengah Airbase and RAF Seletar in Singapore.

Returning to the UK in 1970, he attended a five month photography course before joining RAF Strike Command in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.

His interest in photography began as a child growing up in Lincolnshire, when he found the family camera fascinating. “It was a Brownie 127 and I loved it - I hogged it quite a lot,” he recalls.

That interest did not wane and he carried on snapping whatever he found of interest. After leaving the forces he began taking wedding photographs, carrying on this work in tandem with work at a printing firm.

Allen, who moved to Bradford in 1984, had always been interested the American West, but also harboured an interest in the Second World War.

“For many years, the American West was my hobby, and I attended re-enactments - although not as a photographer - but about 12 years ago I switched,” he says. “I came across a group in Harrogate that focused on different periods in history and my interest in the history of the United States in World War ll developed.”

Re-enactment societies across the country step back in time to relive the nostalgia and spirit of wartime. Soldiers, airmen, the home guard and civilians abandon modern life and try to emulate - as closely as possible - the harsh times of the 1940s.

The first event he attended was held near Blackpool. “I managed to get together some clothing and a small camera - a German ADOX film camera dated 1938-39 - I bought in Haworth for £12.50.”

Having not worked with film for many years, it was not easy. “I admit, when I first went into it I was a bit gung-ho,” he says. “I had forgotten how to be a photographer with film, with all the rules about exposure and composition. It is so easy to pick up a digital camera and go ‘click’.

“I took a step backwards and went back to basics, researching and following the instructions. With film you have to set the shutter speed and aperture depending on the conditions.”

He adds: “When you can do on film what you can do on a digital camera, then you are a photographer.”

“Going back a century Kodak brought out the point, shoot and click camera, now we have digital cameras that enable people to do set on automatic, point and shoot. Things have gone full circle.”

The majority of his cameras date from the 1930s and 1940s, with original lenses. They include Leicas as well as a Kodak Bantam, Kodak 35 and the Speed Graphic - commonly called the most famous press camera. Uniforms are 90 per cent original, sourced from events across the country.

He prides himself on his photographs authentic look. “I don’t Photoshop - I take a picture and that will be it. You could not tell it was taken in 2017. I try hard to capture the atmosphere and create the style of the period.”

Home during reenactments is a tent, which serves as his base while he follows recreations of the lives of service men and women, including airbase life, simulated combat operations and domestic lives during wartime.

“I have original Colman pressure stoves and mess items,” he says. “I eat, sleep, wash and shave there. In order to enhance the 'illusion' for want of a better word, I put modern day food and sweet items in period cans and bottles with correct 1940's labels. It generates a lot of interest - I often get older people saying they remember Camp coffee for example, or condensed milk.”

Re-enactments are about interacting with the visiting public. “It is about showing what it would have been like back in that period and also of course, with regard to my particular interpretation, trying to recreate 1940's-style pictures shooting on film using original cameras from the period.

“Although life was harder then, it was a far simpler time,” says Allen. “From the moment I arrive at an event, to the moment I leave, not hearing a radio, seeing a TV or a newspaper is refreshing.

“It is about escapism, but it is also about history, keeping alive a time and period that should be remembered."

Now retired he can devote more time to his pastime. “I love it. It is my way of expressing myself. I know in my mind’s eye what the final picture will look like.”

When the Second World War broke out in September 1939, just one British army photographer, Geoffrey Keating, and one cameraman, Harry Rignold, accompanied the British Expeditionary Force to France.

On 24 October 1941, the Army agreed to form a corps of trained photographers and cameramen. The unit was called the Army Film and Photographic Unit (AFPU). Its photographers and cameramen were recruited from the ranks of the army. Many had been press photographers or cameramen in peacetime. All recruits had to undergo compulsory training in battle photography at Pinewood Film Studios

“In the British army it was quite rigorously controlled whereas the US approached it in a more casual way,” says Allen.

A comprehensive Second World War re-enactment website – wwiireanacting.co.uk - has more than 10,000 members and is packed with news, events, photos and discussion.

The site also holds information on kit and equipment suppliers and local groups.

*For more information visit wwiireenacting.co.uk;

*Haworth 1940s Weekend takes place on from Friday May 19 to Sunday May 21. *haworth1940sweekend.co.uk

*embasyboltonabbeyrailway.co.uk