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.

Just over 400 years ago the traveller-antiquarian John Leland came through Torrington and described it in his journal as ‘a great large toune and standith on the brow of an hille and hath 3 fair streates in it”.

Making no claim nowadays to being a large town – in fact it is one of the smallest boroughs in the country – Torrington still stands on its hill and certainly has more than three fair streets, as this recent aerial photograph shows.

Gazette article dated 18 August 1961

Torrington’s New Amenity

An idea which Torrington Town Council have had in mind for some time has been realised with the erection of two “Welcome to Torrington” signs at the two main approaches to the town.

On the Bideford road, one of the eight feet by four feet signs has bene put on the cemetery wall and on the Exeter-Plymouth Road the other has been placed on the left-hand side of the road about halfway up the hill between the town and Town Mills bridge.
The boards were made by Mr J H Long (formerly an alderman) and the lettering was done by his brother, Mr Dick Long, whose trade this was.
Surmounting each board is the borough coat of arms.
Gazette article dated 14 July 1961

Young Wives Want Maternity Unit Re-Opened

Staff shortage at Torrington

A lot of young wives in Torrington were anxious to see the maternity unit at the Cottage Hospital re-opened, and was there any hope of this, asked Cllr H Pollard at Monday night’s meeting of Torrington Town Council.
The unit has been closed for some time because of shortage of staff.
A number of women were having their babies at home but were not keen on this, and if they went to hospitals in neighbouring towns it was a long way for husbands to travel at the end of the day, said Cllr Pollard.
The Medical Officer of Health, Dr C F R Briggs, thought that everything that could be done towards getting the unit re-opened was being done, and this was endorsed by Ald. F R Hodge, a member of the hospital’s advisory committee, who added that there was extensive advertising for staff. “I know it is a grave situation but, honestly, I don’t think anything further can be done” added the doctor. “The trouble is that there are more jobs than there are midwives to fill them, and midwives can choose where they go. It is a very small unit in Torrington and it doesn’t give them a lot of experience and work”.
Gazette article dated 5 June 1964