A LOOKALIKE Winston Churchill was preparing to fight them on the beaches when he appeared at Dartmouth Castle.

It looked as if the 'Our Finest Hour' Prime Minister had popped down to Dartmouth Castle to inspect the troops manning the guns ready to fight off any invaders.

Seven decades on, Dave Clarke from the Brixham Battery re-enactment group stood in for the man himself.

"Winnie", along with Second World War British troops, US GIs, Home Guard, air raid wardens and a German paratrooper, took over the castle for the day where they explained to 700 visitors what it would have been like to man its guns while under threat of imminent invasion.

The visit by the 12 members of the Brixham Battery Group was part of a series of Second World War re-enactments at the castle. The Battery Museum at Battery Gardens in Brixham will be open during the Heritage Open Days English Heritage Event this week from tomorrow until Sunday and guided tours will include the 30-metre underground tunnel. The battery will be open as usual from 2pm to 4pm free of charge.