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.

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

13th in Sunshine Top 20

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