Woolsery

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.

After being Sub Postmaster at Woolsery for over thirty years,

Mr C J Andrew has now returned from business at the Post Office and General Stores, which has been in the Andrew family for three generations.

The new owner is Mr Mizen, who came from Newbury with his wife and daughter on April 21st and took over the business last week. All the same staff are being retained.

Mr and Mrs Andrew, Mr and Mrs Jenn and Andrew Jenn are now living at 'Fairholme'

Gazette article dated May 1960

There’s A Welcome In Wales

Goose from Woolsery

A goose is on its way to Wales from Woolsery as a result of a competition run in conjunction with a poultry whist drive in the Parish Hall on behalf of Parish Church funds. The goose was won by ‘Taffy, Caerphilly’, other prize winners being: Mr P Chapple, Anthony Inch, Mrs E Hayes, R Andrew, Miss Slee, Mrs Webb (Sundial, Dipple), G W Vanstone and E Cann.

Mr S Headon was MC for the whist, Mr Trevor Braund was at the door.

The prizes were presented by Mrs How, wife of Rev P F H How, and the winners were: Mrs M E Vanstone (Huddisford), Mrs W Slee, Mrs Williams, Miss M Yeo, Mrs Cloke, Mrs Slade, Miss Millman, Mr Alan Prouse, Mr W Ashton, Mr H Taylor, Mr P Chapple, Mrs G Smith, Mr Hockridge, Mr M E Vanstone. Oldest sitter: Mrs E Hooper. Mrs C Peard, Miss Cook, Mrs F Knight, Mrs A C Perkins, Miss Hooper, Mrs W A Raffle, Mrs P Chapple and Mrs J Raffe were in charge of the refreshments.

The full Gazette article is dated 11 December 1959

Air Of Excitement At Woolsery

Children’s book for India filmed for TV

There was an air of subdued excitement about Woolsery on Monday, and especially at the village school where the 53 pupils between the ages of five and eleven knew that something special was about to happen.
And about noon, the man with the camera arrived.
He had come to film a special activity at the school intended for inclusion in a Children’s Newsreel programme of the BBC.
Children in a remote village in India will soon be learning about life in a typical English village – in particular a village in North Devon – about life in Britain generally. And their teachers will be the children of Woolsery school.
Mr C B Griffiths, headmaster of Woolsery School for the past 22 years, found his pupils immediately enthusiastic when he suggested that they should prepare a book, telling of many aspects of life in this country to be sent to Khammamet, Andhra Pradesh, India. There the Rev Erick Lott, younger son of Mr and Mrs Walter Lott, of Springfield, Woolsery, formerly of Lane Barton Farm, and himself a former scholar of Woolsery school, is entering upon his chosen life as a missionary.
After attending Woolsery School the Rev Eric Lott went to Shebbear College and then farmed at home until called to the Methodist Church.
His brother, Mr Gordon Lott, is taking over Lane Barton Farm. There are two sisters, both in nursing: Miss Christine Lott, who is at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, and Miss Connie Lott, who is at a nursery training college at Tunbridge Wells.
In the near future Mr and Mrs Walter Lott are leaving Woolsery to live in semi-retirement at Bude.

The full Gazette article is dated 1 July 1960