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. J. S. B. Down return to their native Appledore for celebration party.

What more appropriate day than Valentine Day could there be for a golden wedding anniversary? – or so think Mr. and Mrs. John Short Bignell Down, who returned to their native Appledore to celebrate this happy anniversary on Sunday.

On Saturday Mr. and Mrs Down, who live at 60, Glenmore Avenue, Stoke Plymouth, were the guests of honour at a celebration party held in the Appledore Hall.

Although Mr. and Mrs. Down have lived at Plymouth since 1911, when Mr. Down entered H.M. Dockyard, they decided to celebrate the anniversary at Appledore.

Relatives came for the party from Plymouth, London and Weston-super-Mare, and altogether nearly 70 were present.

The second son of the late Mr. and Mrs. W. Down, of Appledore, Mr. Down served his seven years’ apprenticeship as a sailmaker with the firm of Messrs. Robert Cocks and Sons. of Appledore. He continued working for the same firm as a journeyman for another six years before he went to Milford Haven, South Wales, with Messrs. G.H. Tudor.

In 1911 he entered H.M. Dockyard at Devonport, Plymouth, and retired in 1946 after 35 years service, interrupted only by a short break spent at Appledore during the recent war, after he and his wife had been bombed out of their home.

Mrs. Down, the second daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. J. Cook, of Appledore, started work in a collar factory at Appledore when she remained until she was 23. In those days there was no ‘bus service between Bideford and Appledore, and Mrs. Down and her colleagues had to walk to work.

Mr. and Mrs. Down were married at St. Mary’s Church, Appledore, on February 14th, 1904 by the late Rev. H.C.A.S. Muller, then curate. Mr. Down’s wages at the time were 22s. a week.

The recipe for 50 years of happy married life offered by Mr. and Mrs. Down is “Give and take.” Commented Mr. Down: “We have had our ups and downs but we have been very happy.” Mrs. Down added: “We have had nothing to grumble about and I would go through the same fifty years again with the same partner; I have always had him to rely upon.”

Mr. and Mrs. Down have four sons and a daughter. The sons are John, who lives at Appledore; Jim, at Plymouth; William, a chief engine-room artificer in the Navy: and Charlie, a chief shipwright in the Navy. The daughter, Mrs. W. Burford, lives with her parents at Plymouth.

Mr Down has six brothers, two of them living at Appledore, Mrs. Down has three brothers and three sisters.

Gazette article dated 19 February 1954

Father Officiates At Daughter’s Wedding

Mr P Trapnell and Miss J Martin

The bride’s father, who is Rector of the Church, officiated and bells of the ancient Church of St Nicholas, Twywell, near Kettering, rang out on Saturday, September 27th, at the wedding of Mr Peter Trapnell, second son of Mr and Mrs E Howard Trapnell, of Western View, Westward Ho! to Miss Joan Martin, elder daughter of the Rev. and Mrs John Martin, Twywell Rectory, Northamptonshire.

Mr Peter Trapnell, who is a director in the family business of Trapnells Lts, Bideford, is well known locally, especially in sporting circles. A member of the Royal North Devon Golf Club, e won the Devon Union Challenge Cup and the ‘Western Morning News’ Cup at the annual competition meeting of Devon Golfers Union last year.

As a member of the Royal Devon Yeomanry, R.A., he was mobilised for military service at the outbreak of war. He was commissioned in 1910 and the following year was posted to Singapore. In 1942 he was taken prisoner by the Japanese on the fall of that city, and spent most if his captivity in Siam.

Miss Martin has been physical training mistress at West Bank School for the past three years.

Assisting the Rector with the ceremony was the Rev C F Dunsby of Wigan Parish Church. The service was fully choral and Mr F C Berridge was the organist. The hymns were ‘The voice that breathed o’er Eden’, ‘O perfect love’, and ‘May the grace of Christ’. The choir sang ‘The Lord’s my Shepherd’. As the register was signed, a member of the choir sang a solo ‘God be in my head’.

The bride who was given away by a family friend, the Rev B H Danson, wore a full-length dress of white georgette with a train which was carried by Master Martin Leyland. The bride also wore a veil of Brussels net, which had been worn by her mother was kindly lent by the bride’s aunt, Mrs Leyland. She carried a bouquet of red roses and white heather and her head-dress was of orange blossom. Her only ornament was a string of pearls.

She was attended by two bridesmaids, Miss Monica Martin, only sister of the bride and Miss Grace Holland, a friend of the bride, who wore blue georgette over flowered crepe. Their head-dresses were of rosebuds and their bouquets of pink roses. The strings of pearls they were wearing were the gift of the bridegroom.

The bride’s mother wore a black tailored pin-stripe suit with matching accessories and the bridegroom’s mother a brown tailored suit with accessories to match.

Mr Norman G Hunt, brother-in-law of the bridegroom, was the best man.

The bride’s present to the bridegroom was a gold ring. From the bridegroom the bride received a gold wristlet watch as a wedding gift.

Following the reception held at Twywell Recotry, Mr and Mrs Peter Trapnell left for their honeymoon at Locarno, Switzerland, the bride travelling in a mushroom coloured ensemble with accessories to match.

The large number of wedding gifts included Lloyd Loom chair and clothes basket from Trapnells Ltd staff, silver tea spoons from the staff of West Bank School, a cut-glass bowl from pupils of West Bank School, and a cheque from Twywell Parochial Church Council, Church Choir and bellringers.

It was 105 years since a Rector’s daughter had been married at Twywell Church and to mark the occasion the Rector and Mrs Martin gave a dance to parishioners and friends in the ancient Rectory, which was a very joyous and happy occasion. Special mention must be made of the delightful touches given by the bellringers during the afternoon.

Gazette article 1947

Folk Dancing Interest

Mr and Mrs Peter Trapnell, of Bideford, have been selected to represent North Devon in the South-Western team that will be presenting traditional folk dances at the Royal Albert Hall, London, on January 9th and 10th. Folk dancers, singers and musicians from all over the country will be assembling there under the auspices of the English Folk Dance and Song Society. Of special interest, too, is that a Bideford Grammar School boy, 14 year old Bill Chugg, son of Mr and Mrs W A Chugg, and grandson of Mr William Blackmore, one of the Bideford boatbuilding brothers, has been selected to play his violin in the orchestra. Mrs Trapnell has played a leading part locally in the encouragement of folk dancing classes, and a tribute to her interest is the fact that over 200 dances are expected at the Christmas barn dance to be held at Westward Ho! Holiday Centre tomorrow evening, for which Mr Tony Foxworthy, from the Society, will be acting as MC.

Gazette article dated 19 December 1958

He Carried The Milk Down The Cobbles

Clovelly Golden Wedding

For very many years a familiar figure as he carried buckets of milk down over Clovelly’s cobbled High Street by means of a yoke across his shoulders, Mr W Beer and his wife, who live at Crosslands Farm, Clovelly, celebrated their golden wedding anniversary on January 20^th.

Born at Hartland, Mr Beer has lived nearly all his life at Clovelly, his father having farmed at Crosslands before him. For over 50 years he was a second gardener at Clovelly Court and, for a time, also acted as game-keeper. Mrs Beer, a native of Derbyshire, came to work at Clovelly Court laundry and it was there she met her husband.

Following the death of his father 25 years ago, Mr Beer ran the farm and continued working at Clovelly Court until his retirement and he is still farming at the age of 72. Both Mr Beer and his wife, who is a year older, are very active considering their age and Mr Beer as well as running his farm, goes down to help at Clovelly Court at odd times and comes over to help his daughter and son-in-law at Home Farm, Bucks Cross, where he tends the lawns and flower beds with professional care.

Mr and Mrs Beer have one daughter, Mrs R Stoneman, of Bucks Cross; two grandchildren, Mr Vivian Stoneman, of Dyke Green, and Mrs Ronald Glover of Merton, and a great-granddaughter, Miss Rita Glover.

The Gazette article is dated 5 February 1954