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.

Hartland Point is placed 13th in the 'top 20' of the Royal Air Force 'sunshine stakes' for 1966.

A total of 1734.5 hours sunshine were recorded compared with 1865.8 at No 1 spot (Guernsey) and 1841.5 at the Lizard, placed No 2Gazette article is dated 10 March 1967

Worst Snow For Years

Hartland Parish south side particularly hit.

Hartland parish has experienced its severest winter weather since 1947 over the past week or so, indeed, some say the conditions are worse than they were eight years ago. The two-hour fall of snow on the 20th was only the prelude to what was to come on the 23rd.

Mr R Fisher, one of Hartland’s mail van drivers, could only get as far as Dadworthy Hill, one and half miles south of Hartland.

Mr Tom Rowe, who does a cycling post round in the south west corner of the parish, had to give up his round in the late afternoon and had to stay the night at Elmscott.

Three bulldozers worked for four days and four nights to get the roads clear and the last of these was opened on Sunday afternoon. This was between Firebeacon and Lutsford where, according to Mr Sid Goaman, the snow was the worst he had ever experienced.

4.3.1955 Hartland snow2

4.3.1955 Hartland snow3

The full Gazette article is dated 4 March 1955

RNLI'S BRAVERY AWARD TO HARTLAND DOCTOR

Dr Donald Mackenzie, of Hartland, honorary medical adviser to the Clovelly-based lifeboat, the 71ft Charles H Barrett (Civil Service no. 35) has been accorded the thanks of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution inscribed on vellumfor the courage he showed while on service on Sunday, November 7th 1971.

Announcing the award the RNLI say at 18.30 the Charles H Barrett slipped her moorings with Dr Mackenzie aboard to rendezvous with the Embdena, a German vessel. lying off Hartland Point. A report from the Hartland coastguard had been received a few minutes earlier stating that there was a badly injured man aboard the vessel urgently in need of medical assistance. Conditions were bad with a force 8 west-south-westerly wind and a rough sea with a heavy westerly ground swell. The
weather was overcast with heavy rain showers and poor visibility. After a passage of three and a half hours through rough seas the Embdena was sighted at 22.00 about 25 miles west of Hartland Point. The German ship was hove to, rolling and pitching heavily. The coxswain managed to bring the lifeboat along the starboard side of the Embdena, with the assistance of a headrope and engines, to allow the doctor to transfer boats. The coxswain exercised considerable skill in achieving this difficult manoeuvre as both ships were pitching and rolling heavily. To boart the vessle Dr Mackenzie had to jump from the lifeboat, to land on all fours on her deck, while the lifeboat ranged some 15ft alongside. Once aboard, however, the doctor found that the injured man was dead. Due to the heavy sea conditions Dr Mackenzie did not re-embark in the lifeboat until 01.30 when both vessels were in the lee of Lundy island. The lifeboat returned to Clovelly, landing the doctor at 08.00.
The award was made to Dr Mackenzie in recognition of the great courage he showed in making an extremely hazardous jump and his unselfish devotion to duty.
Dr Mackenzie was also instrumental in saving the life of an old lady in Clovelly last month, when in the absence of any oxygen equipment he called for the oxyvator aboard Charles H Barrett to be brought ashore. With the help of the oxyvator, which one of the crew members managed to bring to the doctor in time, he was able to sustain the patient until the arrival of the ambulance.
Gazette article dated 18 February 1972