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.

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

Chieftain Tank Under The Torridge!

Some of the peacetime backroom development that has followed as a natural progression to the waterproofing of vehicles which helped in the wartime landings on enemy coasts was in evidence in the Torridge estuary last week.

Observers from the Ministry of Defence in London, together with those from other experimental and development units in the UK, watched as a 50-ton Chieftain tank, which has been converted into an armoured recovery vehicle, went completely underwater, except for a snorkel, from the beach at Instow across the river bed to Crow Point.
The new equipment in use has been developed at the Fording Trials Branch of REME at Instow and the trials were concerned with the ability of the Chieftain ARV to support tanks in a river crossing environment.
Gazette article dated 7 May 1971