People

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.

Mr. and Mrs. Walter Norman

Among many friends who brought greetings and good wishes to Mr. and Mrs. Walter Norman, of New Street, Torrington, when they celebrated their golden wedding last week were the Mayor and Mayoress of Torrington (Mr. and Mrs. J.H. Long), seen in the top right of the above photograph.

Mr. and Mrs. Norman are very well-known in the town and Mr. Norman (centre, sitting) who returned to Torrington from Cirencester in 1913, was manager of the Torrington Co-operative Society’s branch at Well Street for many years until his retirement in 1942.

He and his wife have been staunch supporters of the Methodist Church all their life and Mr. Norman has held practically every office open to a layman. On more than one occasion and over very many years he was the senior circuit steward, and he was a Sunday School teacher and member of the choir. He is a Trustee of the Torrington Methodist Church and has also been a trustee of a number of other churches in the circuit.

To mark this happy anniversary, gifts of flowers were made to Mr. and Mrs. Norman by Rev. T.H. Sheriff, the minister, and other members of the Church.

Gazette article 26 May 1954

Wednesday Will Be Their Diamond Wedding Day

Mr. and Mrs. W.H. Luxton’s Memories

Sixty years ago next Wednesday, the last day of June, Mr. and Mrs. W.H. Luxton, of 2, Woodland Terrace, Bideford, stepped out of Bridge Street Methodist Church, Bideford, to begin life as husband and wife on a wage of £1 a week.

Now, within a few days of their diamond wedding anniversary, they look back on a marriage that they have made happy by pulling together through the hard times and the better ones.

Mr. and Mrs. Luxton are very well-known and respected in Bideford and district where all their married life has been spent. Mrs. Luxton, who was Miss Lily Copp before her marriage, is a Bidefordian born and bred and her husband only just escapes that distinction for he came here from Crediton at the age of five and even now, eighty one years later, he still remembers the first house in which he lived in Meddon Street.

They have two sons – Mr. Sidney Alfred Luxton, who is in business as a tobacconist in High Street, Bideford, and Mr. Arthur William Luxton, a motor engineer, who lives in Pitt Lane, Bideford. There are two grandchildren, Mrs. Kathleen Born of Hereford, and Mr. Gerald Luxton, of Ealing, London; and one great-grandchild, Susan Mary Born.

SIXTY YEARS A GARDENER

With sixty years as a gardener behind him, Mr. Luxton has acquired that steadying philosophy of life that comes to all who are associated with and love the living soil and its plants, demanding long hours and hard work but giving in return a busy life and a happy one.

Mr. Luxton was between fourteen and fifteen years of age when he started gardening at Heale House, Littleham, and there was not much time left for youthful zest out of a day that began at 6 a.m. ending with his return home at 7 in the evening. It meant walking five and a half miles a day, seven days a week. On one occasion, in order to see the launching of a wooden ship from Johnson’s Yard below the Bridge at East-the-Water, he ran from Heale House to Geneva Place where he was then living, had his tea and changed his clothes and was down at the scene of the launching by five minutes to seven.

His wages at this time were 9s. a week and, after covering his living expenses, he was left with 1s. a week at the most.

“I think he had a neck to start courting on that,” laughed Mrs Luxton.

After four years at Heale House, he went to Moreton House, Bideford, then the seat of Sir George Stucley – the grandfather of the present Mayor of Bideford (Mr. D.F.B. Stucley) – as second gardener in a staff of twelve gardeners. While at Moreton, Mr. Luxton spent most of his time in the greenhouses at Winsford. In those days grapes, oranges, melons and pineapples were grown there as well as a wide variety of hot-house plants.

SHOW SUCCESSES

There was a touch of pride in his voice as Mr. Luxton recalled the occasion when Moreton entered 33 classes at the horticultural show which, in those days was held in the open air and moved around the different big houses in the district year by year, and won 31 first, two second and one third prize.

After a few years at Moreton House, he left to go as head gardener to Mr. W.L. Pike at Richmond House (now The Holt), Appledore, where he remained eight years. A year after going to Appledore he got married and he and his wife set up home in Pitt Hill. During this time Mr. Luxton took a prominent part in the activities of the Appledore Wesleyan Church. He was a Sunday School teacher, a member of the choir and organised and conducted Band of Hope meetings which were frequently attended by the then Vicar of the Parish (Rev. H.C.A.S. Muller).

He continued his Wesleyan Church work at Alwington when he became head gardener to Mr. H.J. Mason, at Portledge, and was later joined by his son, Sidney, who became organist.

Mr. Luxton had been nearly twenty years at Portledge – “there wasn’t a place in the district kept so well,” he said – when he decided to go into business on his own account as a market gardener. With the establishment of his nurseries at Beverley Gardens at Abbotsham Road, Bideford, began the hardest period of his life for often he was working sixteen hours a day and, in any case, seven days a week. But he had the help of his wife who joined him at their stall in Bideford Pannier Market on Tuesdays and Saturdays and helped with the picking and weighing of produce in the nurseries.

Mr. Luxton was a founder member and a former chairman of Bideford and District Horticultural Society which was founded nearly fifty years ago. He has won quite a number of awards at the Society’s shows and while he was at Appledore he won two silver tea and coffee sets which had been presented for competition by his employer, Mr. W.L. Pike, who was then President of the revived Society. Present day shows, he thought, had declined from what they were in those days when the whole market, including that area now taken up by the restaurant, was crammed with flowers, fruit and vegetables; and there had always been a band playing during the show.

Up until a few years ago Mr. Luxton was able to keep himself happily occupied in his retirement in the garden of his house and with bowls which he only took up when he retired in 1939. He is a member of Bideford Liberal Club, where he was fond of having a game of skittles, and he is one of the three oldest members of the Rechabite Friendly Society which he joined when he was 16.

NARROW ESCAPE

Mr. Luxton very nearly did not live to see his diamond wedding day for back in 1947 he was overcome while getting his wife an early morning cup of tea, by gas fumes which had seeped into the house from a broken main in the street outside. He was unconscious for over twelve hours but from his as from one or two other illnesses recently, he came up smiling.

His one real love is a game of football. Now it is the association game he follows, but in bygone days he was a supporter of the rugby football team that played at Port Hill, Northam.

When Mr. Luxton was at Appledore, he confesses, he used to walk down to the end of the drive with a broom in his hands as if engaged on some task; then, quickly hiding the broom in the shrubbery, he was off to Port Hill. But his difficulties were not over. As he went along the road, he had to listen for the carriage and pair which always took his employer Mr. Pike, into town on Saturday afternoons and more often or not, Mr. Luxton had to slip over the hedge and well out of sight until the carriage had gone by and frequently had to repeat the performance on the way home!

That he can still recapture and relish with the best such youthful memories and escapades shows that he is still young at heart; certainly his sprightly manner belies his 86 years.

Gazette Article 26 May 1954

Golden wedding of Mr and Mrs W Joslin

Many important incidents may have happened on March 20th, 1901;

in fact it may possibly have been a very important date in history. It certainly was as far as Mr and Mrs W. Joslin, of West Farm, Westleigh, were concerned. It was the day of all days for Mr Joslin and for Miss M.E. Reed, daughter of a well-known Braunton family. It was their wedding day.

An equally important date was that of March 20th, 1951, when Mr and Mrs Joslin celebrated their golden wedding. Among the guests were the two bridesmaids, Mrs L. Isaac and Mrs W. Lake, also the best man, Mr A.J. Joslin.

It was also an exacting day for the Post Office and telephone exchange, who were kept exceedingly busy delivering telegrams, letters and connecting ‘phone calls. Activities at West Farm were constant from early morn until late at night Relatives and friends gathered together in large numbers, not only to celebrate the happy occasion, but also to pay tribute to two well-known personalities who by their service and loyalty have firmly endeared themselves over a very wide area.

Mr and Mrs Joslin’s contribution to the Methodist cause, and their devotion to the little chapel on the hill at Westleigh has almost become legendary. Their home during fifty years of happy married life has been an ever-open door to countless numbers of ministers and preachers. On special occasions such as anniversary and harvest, the house has been full to over-flowing with worshipping visitors and friends.

In addition to being a well-known farmer, Mr Joslin has played a very prominent part in the public life of North Devon, having served the Westleigh Parish Council for about forty years, represented the parish on the Barnstaple Rural District Council for 39 years, and been Chairman of the School Managers at Westleigh Council School for over forty years.

In the sporting world he is best known as a bowler of outstanding ability. A very popular member of the Bideford Bowling Club, he has played regularly for Devon in county matches since 1925, taken part in the E.B.A. Championships (Rinks) 1928, (pairs, in partnership with his brother, A.J. Joslin) 1949, and has been a successful competitor for many years at the Bideford and Ilfracombe open tournaments.

Including among the numerous presents from a wide circle of friends, was a set of glasses, subscribed to and presented on behalf of past and present scholars and teachers of the Westleigh School, by the eldest scholar. A bouquet of flowers was also presented by the youngest girl of the school.

A few years later, Mr Joslin retired from Barnstaple Rural Council - Mr Joslin (opens in new window)

Gazette article dated 30 March 1951