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.

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

Hartland Faithful Children

Thirty of 36 children on Hartland Methodist Sunday school register have received Ned Prust Trust books for good attendance. Five of them were present on 50 Sundays last year.

Denise Short, Liza Manley and Jean Colwill received their bars from overseas missions head offic for their efforts in raising money in 1972.

Published in the Gazette 23 February 1973

Tinker’s Travels

From Hartland to London and Back

This is a tale of special interest to all who have pet cats.
Mrs R Short, of ‘Pen-y-Brn’ Hartland, and her son and daughter, John and Gloria, spent a whole morning last week looking for their cat, Tinker, who, unknown to them, decided to go on a 400 mile joyride for the day.
Eight-years-old Tinker, smokey-blue and ‘one of the family’ at ‘Pen-y-Brn’, perhaps saw an opportunity of a free trip when Mr Short was loading his furniture lorry for a 4.30am start to North London. Whether or not the animal knew what he was in for is not known, but he stowed away un-noticed, and off they went.
Mr Short made a stop at Wincanton, Somerset. Suddenly suspecting the van might be carrying a passenger, he called out ‘Puss’. Up jumped Tinker.
Tinker, by this time, must have been having second thoughts about the journey and refused all offers of something to eat.
London was reached and the 214 miles back to Hartland were covered by half an hour past midnight, with everyone at home delighted to hear that their pet was ‘found’ and was safe. As for Tinker himself, he rushed immediately to his sleeping quarters, after a tiring and exciting day in which he partially, if not completely, fulfilled the story of a well known nursery rhyme.
In the photograph Tinker is seen in Mrs Short’s arms.
Article is dated 4 February 1955