Military

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.

Buying from a sweet stall

in a Hong Kong village is Bideford solder, 22 year old Gunner Chris Dymond, who is a driver with 25 Light Regiment, Royal Artillery. Chris was posted to the Far East for a two and a half year tour of duty and is based in Sek Kong in the New Territories, close to the Red China border.

The Regiment’s duties include manning border observation points and it also does a lot of work aiding remote civilian committees.

Son of Mrs L Dymond, who lives at 52 Barton Tors, Bideford, Chris attended Bideford County School and worked as a butcher for the local Cooperative Society before joining the Royal Artillery for nine years in 1963. He has served 18 months with BAOR.

He has five brothers and two sisters all living in Devon.

Gazette edition dated 27 June 1969

Former G.I. comes back to his war time ‘Mum’

A former GI, now living in East Manning Street, Rhode Island,

returned to Bideford to see his ‘English Mother.’

Left to right in the photograph – Mrs Sandra Prouse, Mr John Costa (holding Mrs Prouse’s baby, Robert, Mrs Lilian Bedler, Mrs Connie Shapland, Mr Harry Bedler, Mrs Joan West, Mrs Mary Costa

This is what Mr John Costa calls Mrs Lilian Bedler, of 19 Bowden Green. In 1943 Mr Costa, then 21, was at Handy Cross Camp almost opposite the Bedler home. Mrs Bedler recalled: ‘He was always in and out, more like a son, really.’

Shortly before the birth of her youngest daughter he had asked that the baby should be called Sandra Elizabeth if it was a girl. A girl it was, and last weekend, Mr Costa saw Mrs Sandra Elizabeth Prouse for the first time since he left her kicking in her cradle. Even after 25 years Mr Costa was able to direct the taxi driver straight to the Bedler home and tell him he had taken a wrong turning although ‘houses stand where fields used to be.’

Gazette dated 4 January 1969

Five Torrington Boys in Troopship

Greetings to the people of Torrington

This photograph received from Drummer C W Gilbert of HQ Company 1st Battalion, Dorset Regiment, BAPO 1, shows five Torrington boys who met on the Empire Fowey which left Southampton for Hong Kong early last month.

The photograph was taken as the ship was docking at Singapore and shows Corporal W H Stacey, Army Catering Corps, attached to the 1st Battalion, Dorset Regiment; Drummer C W Gilbert; Leading Seaman C R Sanders, Royal Navy; Rifleman G Drew and Rifleman O Stacey, both of C Company. Leading Seaman Sanders is now serving on HMS Ladybird in the Far East.

With the photograph, they send their greetings to the people of Torrington whom they hope to see again soon.

The letter was sent to Mr Jack Hutchings, correspondent and agent for the Bideford Gazette.

28 November 1952