Instow

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.

Switch to automatic

The new automatice exchange at Instow will be brought into service at 1.30pm on Wednesday, February 7th. Subscriber trunk dialling facilities are not being provided at the outset, but should be available for non-coinbox customers later in the year. The new building is at Back Road, Instow, and the equipment was installed by Post Office engineers.

All customers will be able to dial 30 local exchanges and 999 (Emergency) and Speaking Clock facilities will also be available. Local calls will be untimed as at present.

Although the existing manual exchange at Instow will close, operator services will still be available - these calls will, however, be handled at Barnstaple.

Gazette dated January 12, 1968

Veteran Alderman Starts Big Scheme

Work began on a £60,000

widening scheme on the Back Road, Instow, and Ald Tom Anstey, vice-chairman of Devon Roads Committee and chairman of the Northern Division Roads Committee, informally inaugurated the scheme.

Ald Anstey climbed into a cabin of a Devon County Council diesel driven loader and trench digger, and, with a bit of help from the operator, Mr Mervyn Prust, of Pilton, switched on the engine and sent the bucket biting into the earth to scoop up a cwt. or so of soil.

For over 30 years he has been campaigning for the road widening. The widened road will run for three quarters of a mile.

Ald Anstey admitted that they had waited a long, long time. Since he has been made an alderman his successor, Mr John Andrew, had carried on the good work. Devon County Council had had to acquire 52 plots of land and use compulsory powers.

He warned villagers there were likely to be temporary difficulties. Because of the urgency it had been decided to start right away, now that the land was available. “Don’t grumble; we cannot do this work in the winter” he said.

Children of Instow School had time off to watch the ceremony, and among the guests were the Mayor and Mayoress of Bideford, Mrs E J Brown and Mrs L B Galliford.

Gazette article 2 July 1965

All On A Summer's Day

An 'artistic' moment at Instow during the presentation of the comedy "All on a summer's day" during an entertaining evening in aid of the Cancer Campaign funds, reported last week.

The play was written by Mrs P Dreyer, of Instow. Seen in the photograph are: Miss Beckwith, Mrs Green, Mr Alan Bowyer, Mrs Weaver, Mrs Forster, Mrs Harvey and Miss Pilkington.

Gazette article dated 6 June 1958