Appledore

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.

Appledore’s oldest male inhabitant, Capt Philip Hutchings, died in the Torridge Hospital, Bideford, on Sunday. He was 91.

Capt Hutchings, who was closely associated with the sea almost throughout his life, lived at 13 Hill Cliff Terrace. He first went to sea at the age of 12 with his father in the Amity. For the next 12 years he was in the coasting trade, but then he decided ‘to go deep water to see some of the world’.
His career might have ended soon after for in a gale in the Bay of Biscay he went aloft to reef the tops’l and when the ship lurched was thrown into the sea. Although dressed in oilskins and heavy sea boots he swam for four and a half hours until he was seen from one of the rescue boats that had been launched and was dragged aboard.
Subsequently, he was master of several vessels including the Emma Louise, the Jane and Sarah, and the UIelia.
During World War 1 he served in the Royal Navy and was in action at Heligoland, Dogger Bank and Jutland. After he retired in 1935 he became a salmon fisherman until rheumatism prevented it.
Capt and the late Mrs Hutchings celebrated their golden wedding in 1949.

Appledore Pair Reach America in 1972

Twelve months after slipping out of the Torridge estuary at the start of an 8,500 mile voyage, Mr and Mrs Jeffrey Clarkson, of the Gaiety, Appledore, have reached Seattle, their destination on the west coast of America.

During their trip the Clarksons, who are members of the North Devon Yacht Club, celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary.
The couple set out last September in their 30ft sloop Pile Cap and experienced all types of conditions en route.
During their long trip the Clarksons have been maintaining contact with Yacht Club members in letters sent to Mr Alex Provan, of Yelland.

Mr James Bragg and Miss Rosemary Lamey are married in 1964

The bridgegroom’s brother flew home from Barbadoes, West Indies to be best man

at the wedding at St Mary’s Church, Appledore, on Thursday of last week of Mr James Hubert Reginald Bradd, elder son of Mrs E M Bragg and the late Mr J R W Bragg, of High Street, Charmouth, Dorset, and Miss Rosemary Eileen Lamey, elder daughter of Mr and Mrs A T Lamey, of The Quay Pharmacy, Appledore.

After attending Edgehill College, the bride went on to the school of Pharmacy at Plymouth College of Technology and qualified as MPS and now working with Messrs Timothy Whites. The bridegroom who graduated BSc (London) upper second honours, at Plymouth College of Technology is now technical librarian at Plymouth City Library.

The Vicar of Appledore, Rev R C Dimon, and the Rector of St Matthew’s, Exeter, Rev E Deacon, godfather of the bride, officiated. Bridesmaids were Misses Susan Lamey, Janice Bragg and Gillian Norton, Mr Harold John Bragg was best man. After the reception held at Durrant House, Northam, Mr and Mrs J H R Bragg left for their honeymoon in Cornwall.