CLASSIC military vehicles are set to roll back into Maldon as part of an annual celebration.

The Essex Historical Military Vehicle Association (HMVA), in conjunction with Maldon District Council, is inviting residents down to the Promenade Park this weekend for its latest Armed Forces Day event.

The Essex HMVA was formed in 2014 to ensure the preservation and education of military vehicles and equipment.

The group typically holds a winter gathering earlier each year, which has been held since the 1980s and has attracted more than 1,000 enthusiasts in recent years.

Some of the vehicles at previous winter gatherings have appeared in films, TV series, and documentaries, including The Monuments Men, Fury, and Danger UXB.

Every June it holds an event to mark the annual Armed Forces Day.

The free event features several displays from Essex HMVA with members showing their beautifully restored vehicles as well as members military equipment collections.

A spokesman for the Essex HMVA said: “We hope to have a diverse attendance of several thousand people, keen in joining us to celebrate the varied role that the Armed forces has performed throughout history and continues to perform during the present day.

“The event will see representatives from both Maldon’s district and town councils attending, as well as local cadets, members of the local Veterans Breakfast Clubs and the British Legion.”

Maldon itself has a long association with military history, dating as far back as the Battle of Maldon (991AD), which took place on the shores of the River Blackwater in Essex.

During the Second World War soldiers were stationed in the area to protect this part of the coast from invasion.

Some of the local boats were also used as part of Operation Dynamo, which evacuated the BEF from the beaches of Dunkirk.

Local tugs were used to assist in setting up the Mulberry Harbours for the D-Day landings in Normandy.

For more information, visit essexhmva.co.uk.