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.

Wearing full ceremonial dress of the Royal Marines, Mne John Walter, son of Mr and Mrs A H Walter, Church Cottage, Stoke, Hartland, was married at St Mary’s Parish Church, Gillingham, Kent, on Easter Monday, to Miss June Camille Bickell, daughter of Mr and Mrs J H Bickell, 33 Livingstone Road, Gillingham, Kent.

The Rev J R John officiated and the organist was Mr E Chaney. The bride was attended by Miss Margaret Thornton, her cousin. Best man was Mr Leonard Walter, the bridegroom’s brother. A reception held at the Queen’s Hall, Gillingham, was attended by 45 guests. The couple met while the bridegroom was serving on HMS Birmingham.

The full Gazette article is dated 3 April 1959

Hartland Win Shield For Third Time

For the third successive year Hartland children carried off the shield at the Bude Methodist circuit youth council’s seventy youth eisteddfod.

A total of 21 Hartland children, aged six to 14 years, were responsible for 123 entries and achieved the massive total of 1,744 points. Providence, one of the smallest schools, runners-up for the past four years, were pushed into third place by Morwenstow.

Hartland results: Jennifer Allin; Hazel Bragg; Martin Colwill; Dwayne Heard; Wendy Heard; Alison Manley; Patrick O’Donnell, Sandra O’Donell, Andrew Prouse; Denise Short; Kenneth Sluggett; Jennifer Thorne; Tracy Thorne.

The full Gazette article is dated 6 April 1973

RAF Request At Hartland

Playing field need

Writing to Hartland Parish Council meeting, the CO of the RAF station at Hartland stated that it had always been the policy of the Air Ministry to encourage sport of all kinds among members of the RAF but, unfortunately, the sporting activities of the unit had been handicapped by the absence locally of a sports field. It meant, the letter added, that all home matches had to be played in Bideford. He asked if the Parish Council were able to suggest a suitable field which could be rented as a sports field. ‘We have been looking out for a field for years without being able to get one’ commented Mr R H Westlake.

The chairman, Sir Dennis Stucley, pointed out they had formed a Playing Fields Association in Hartland representative of public interests, and he suggested the letter should be sent to this association. The subject had been thrashed out over a number of years, said Mr E J Fulford. A site had been earmarked, he added, but the owner was not willing to sell and ‘it was hopeless at the moment’. ‘Until you have powers to take it you are not going to get anywhere in Hartland’ he said. It was decided to send copies of the RAF letter to the local Playing Fields Association and Football Club.

Gazette article dated 3 April 1959