Torrington

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.

At their Christmas end of term entertainment pupils of Torrington Secondary Modern School included a one act play, ‘Toddy in the Belfry’, a scene from which is portrayed.

It was an exciting tale about smuggled rum, which eventually finds a hiding place in grandmother’s bed!
Appearing in the play were: Warren Golder; George John Davis; Emma, Barbara Huxtable; Hazel Seymour; Nigel Rogers; Thomas Raymond Lock; John Heard; Tony Gifford, Roger Baker, Gregory Rookes and David Reynolds.

The Gazette article is dated 2 January 1959

Trans-Atlantic Christmas Greetings at Torrington

Four people stayed up until 2 o’clock on Saturday morning, at the Newmarket Hotel, Torrington, waiting for the telephone to ring.

Then they listened to a voice they had not heard for twenty years. The words came all the way across the Atlantic, from Ontario, Canada.
This was the special Christmas present for three sisters, Mrs Polly Copp, Mrs Lily Parker and Mrs Beatrice Gordon. Sharing the treat with them was Mrs Copp’s husband, George.
Speaking at the Canadian end of a special trans-Atlantic telephone link-up was a brother of the three women, 51 years old Mr Harry Davey, whose home is at Longlac.
The full Gazette article is dated 2 January 1958.

Doctor’s Family are Torridge View Helpers

Christmas dinner at Torridge View Welfare Home, Torrington, will have even more of a family flavour than usual. The turkey will be carves by Dr Harry Cramp and dinner will be served by six of his seven children – the seventh is still ‘in arms’.

But long before then the district will have been scoured and old people living alone and who would otherwise spend a solitary Christmas will have been brought in to join the residents and the tenants of the old people’s bungalows in the grounds of Torridge View who are also to be entertained.
Santa Claus will tour the home at about 10.30am with gifts for everyone. The three course dinner will be accompanied by wine, beer, sherry or minerals, and there will be more drinks in the afternoon when carols will be sung by members of the Order of the Moose at Bideford. There will be more carols following a traditional tea for those who do not choose to watch television.
Visitors will include the Mayor and Mayoress, Mr and Mrs W D Cockram, who will also bring gifts.
As reported elsewhere, the Cavaliers have delivered gifts and there have been visits by many carol parties. The local band, Devonaires, spent an evening playing for dancing and entertaining, and there has been a sherry party.

Gazette article dated 24 December 1970