100 Years Ago

Christmas Eve at the Front

An interesting letter has just been received by Mrs Packer, of Broadclyst, from her husband, Corpl Packer of A Company, 1st Battalion Devonshire Regiment, who is serving with the Expeditionary Force in Northern France. In the course of a letter he describes a remarkable incident which occurred on Christmas Eve between the British and German trenches.

100 Years Ago - December 1913/January 1914

As Christmas approached the Gazette newspaper was full of adverts by local shops and traders extolling their finest merchandise. On Tuesday 9th December a Prime Christmas Fat Stock show was held when 30 famous fat steers and heifers were sold together with 50 sheep. By early December butchers had already bought, killed and hung their Christmas meat. Messrs S Dennis trading at 51 Mill Street advertised ox & heifer beef, Exmoor Down Wether Mutton and dairy fed pork. Farleigh's Stores in the High Street were offering choice Canadian Hams from 7d to 10d per pound.
To help wash down the traditional Christmas dinner William C Talbot, trading from 1 High Street, advertised bottles of London Gin at 2 shillings a pint bottle, 10 year old Scotch Whisky at 3s 3d pint and Martell Brandy at 4s 4d per pint bottle.

At 74 High Street Mr Arthur Clements had just transferred the business to his brother Wilfred and to celebrate had clothing bargains for all of the family. On offer were men's overcoats at 13s lld, men's suits at 15s lld, tweed trousers at 3s 6d and tweed dress skirts for ladies at Is lld.

If you were looking for Christmas presents, J T White who traded further up at 78 High Street, offered gramophones from E3 10 shillings and the records to play on them at Is Id. George Boyle, one of the town's longest established traders, had bought 12 bicycles from Birmingham at the oncein-a-lifetime price of €3 19s 6d each.

Internationally, London-born 19 year old Charlie Chaplin, who was touring the USA began his film career with Max Senate Keystone Film Company at the astronomical salary of $150 per week. Also in America Henry Ford opened his first continuous production line building cars every 2 minutes and 35 seconds. Production workers saw their pay rise from $2.40 per hour to $5 in one jump!!

Great Britain secured a contract with China to build an 800-mile railway line across central and southern China using English workers. This was a most welcome contract because at home there were several strikes and riots from a restless workforce. Employment was difficult and soup kitchens were opening to feed the out of work. Those unfortunate enough to find themselves unable to feed and house their families ended up in the dreaded workhouse. In the Meddon Street establishment Mr A G Duncan J.P., Chairman of the Bideford Poor Law Guardians, gave 100 inmates a dinner consisting of boiled rounds of beef and vegetables, plum pudding and coffee. Male inmates were given a pack of tobacco or money, ladies tea and sugar and their children sweets and oranges.

100 Years Ago - November 1913

The water supply problems mentioned last month continue to give considerable concern. Abbotsham Road, High Street and all of Old Town are without water whilst "They scrape the pipes" The supply to the workhouse in Meddon Street has been interrupted frequently and the Guardians are considering opening a well on the premises but are hesitant due to the proximity of the old cemetery.

Two shipping stories make the headlines this month. Firstly a fire virtually destroys the trawler Busy Bee moored off Williams's boatyard at Appledore. At 4 am the vessel was alight from stem to stern and to extinguish the fire it was sunk. It is not expected to be salvaged. On a lighter note Coxswain Cann from Appledore was on the beach near the lifeboat station and found a bottle containing a paper stating t*on being found and forwarded to an address given 9C Edwin Hall The Docks Swansea) the finder would be given a box of cigars. The letter and the paper were sent and Mr Cann duly received the cigars together with a note that the bottle was thrown into the river Towy at LLandilo on the 6th April 1913.

Nearly 40 Hartland residents attended a meeting at Dr Crew/s house to arrange for Hartland's first ever carnival.

North Devon Wages: Bideford yasons and carpenters have given notice to the master builders that they will require a rise of 1/26ence per hour, making the wage 7d per hour on May 1st next year and also 2 shillings for Sunday work. This will bring them into line with Barnstaple tradesmen. It was also stated that Painters are seeking the same rate of pay.

Bideford Grammar School prizegiving took place on 4th November. It was reported that a total of 98 boys were attending the school.

100 Years Ago - October 1913

Two Bideford miners had a miraculous escape on the morning of October 14th. The Sluman brothers from Honestone Street were working at the Universal Senghenydd Colliery near CaerphjlJy Glamorgan and had just come up from the night shift. Exploding Firedamp and Methane gas killed everybody underground. In total 439 miners lost their lives and such was the damage underground that some bodies were never recovered. The mine was to close just over thirty years later with the dubious honour of being the site of the largest mining disaster in the history of the British coalfields.
Bideford Mayor, Hugh N G Stuciey, opened a fund for the relief of widows and orphans who had suffered greatly from this disaster. He donated three guineas to start the fund. Collections were made at Gales Bijou Picture Palace, the band of the Devonshire TA gave a concert in the Pannier Market and Bideford Boy Scouts collected E15-8s- 2d. Our postcard photograph shows one of the coffins being removed.

On a lighter note Bideford Town Council have to go "cap in hand" to Northam District Council to ask if they can secure a supply of drinking water to help alleviate a chronic shortage and an interrupted supply from their Gammaton reservoirs. Northam UDC agreed to help supply Bideford with fresh water from their Melbury reservoir.