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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.

Anxious search for three missing Torrington boys

Three Torrington boys who were reported missing on Sunday were found some nine hours later, in failing light, on the banks of the river Torridge at Beam, three miles away from their homes.

The boys were (L to R) seven-year-old Tony Allen, eight-year-old Nicholas Hammett and Tony’s seven-year-old cousin, Richard Roach.

Tony related his experiences: ‘We were going to hike to Bideford to have a look around. I know my way there all right but when we went off the main road, we got lost. We tried to find the road again but couldn’t, so when we came to a fisherman’s carrier, we all jumped in it and tried to get across the river to the other bank. But half-way across the carrier got stuck so we returned to the bank by catching hold of the guide wires, pulling ourselves hand over hand to where we started’. Tony said they were starving. Nicholas had started to eat some grass ‘but I don’t like grass so I didn’t try to eat any.’

When it began to get dark, they became frightened ‘but none of us cried until we saw Daddy coming for us.’ They were never going to do it again.

Gazette article 20 October 1961

He beat the floods

Weare Giffard postman’s memories

As he recalled days when he had had to wade through floods to deliver the mail, Mr Albert Curis of 1 Downings Terrace, Weare Giffard, who retired on Friday as postman there, was able to look at a river Torridge reduced almost to a stream by the long dry spell and giving little indication of how rapidly it can rise, flooding meadows, roads and sometimes houses.

On Friday morning at 7 o’clock began his round as usual astride his bicycle. After delivering through the village he took the road to Gammaton, completed a circle and returning to Weare Giffard post office just after 12.30. ‘People told me I was as regular as a clock in my deliveries,’ Mr Curtis proudly claimed.

Gazette article 4 August 1961

Torrington’s new amenity

Welcome to Torrington signs

Two ‘Welcome to Torrington’ signs have been erected at the two main approaches to the town.

On the Bideford road, one of the eight feet by four feet signs has been put on the cemetery wall and on the Exeter-Plymouth Road, the other has been placed on the left-hand side of the road about half-way up the hill between the town and Town Mills bridge.

The boards were made by Mr J.H. Long (formerly an alderman) and the lettering was done by his brother Mr Dick Long whose trade this was. Surmounting each board is the borough coat of arms.

Gazette article 14 July 1961