Hartland

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.

The bell of a ship which sank off Hartland during the Second World War now sounds ‘time’ at a local inn.

In December 1943, the 397-ton Florence Reynolds sank after a collision 10 miles west of Hartland Point. Last year the ship’s bell was found at a spot near the cliffs between Spekes Mill and Welcombe by Mr Clifford Prouse, of Greenfields, Baxworthy, Hartland. Now the bell hangs in the bar of the Westcountry Inn on the main Bideford-Bude road.

The Florence Reynolds was built in 1923 by Messrs Pitchers of Great Yarmouth. She was originally named The Coniscrag and the bell bears this name.

Gazette article dated 3 July 1964

World War 1

Hartland

A demonstration of potato spraying was given in Mr William Jas Pillman’s garden on Tuesday evening, July 2nd, by Mr A Richmond, a representative of the Food Production Department, who some time ago lectured on the subject in the school-room. Less than a dozen attended.
On Saturday June 29th, Mrs Mary Prouse, 48 The Terrace, had an official notice that her son, Pte James, Devon Regt, had been admitted to hospital at Rouen, suffering from trench fever, severe. No further news has come to hand. He had been previously twice wounded. One brother, William, was killed on the Gallipoli Peninsula, and another, Charles, in France.
A telegram received by his wife on Wednesday July 3rd, told of the serious illness of Bugler J E R Short in France.
Gazette article dated 13 July 1918.

Why Rural Council Did Not Support Hartland Protest

Decision of Bideford Rural Council not to support a protest by Hartland Parish Council at the action of local education officials in ‘causing alarm to parents’ on the matter of school transport, had been criticised, Mr S A Brimacombe told the Rural Council.

There seemed to be some confusion, he added. He had been asked why they had not supported it. They had done all they could to support he move for a new school. The protest on this occasion, said the clerk Mr C T Braddick, was about the action of officials. The critics had not read into the matter.
The Chairman, Sir Dennis Stucley, agreed that throughout the negotiations the Council had supported Hartland in the attempt to obtain a new school. After the Clerk had read the minute relating to the matter, the Chairman said that it would have been improper for the Council to have been associated with any protest over the action of County officials who had attended meetings to examine what alternative measures could be taken if the children had to travel to schools.
Gazette article dated 12 June 1959