Eighty visitors accorded civic reception

Some eighty members of the Swansea Devonian Society visited Bideford on Saturday as part of a day’s trip to North Devon, renewing old acquaintances, re-visiting familiar places and some generally recalling in happy vein their younger days spent in their home county.

At Bideford, as at other places, they were accorded a civic welcome by the Mayor and Mayoress, Mr and Mrs W H Short.

Landing at Ilfracombe, the party went to Combe Martin, the birthplace of their president, Mr John Allen, where they were entertained to coffee. Later they went to Barnstaple where they lunched with the Mayor, Mr A C Blackmore and reached Bideford in time for tea at Mitchell’s Café when they were the guests of the Mayor and Mayoress

The Mayoress having been presented with a bouquet by Mrs Allen, the wife of the President, the Mayor welcomed the visitors. He said he was glad to recognise the faces of people who more recently left the area, and hoped that on their return to Swansea, they would each be able to say ‘I’ve been home; I’ve renewed old associations; my native county is as dear to me as the day I first left it’.

Mr F Lamerton, a past President of the Association at present residing in Exeter, who had come to Bideford to see some of his friends, entertained the company with a monologue in Devonshire dialect.

Mr F T Upton said he was glad to be able to return some of the hospitality that was shown to him and his wife when they visited Swansea during his term of office as Mayor three years ago.

The toast of ‘our visitors’ was proposed by the Town Clerk, Mr F C Backway. Mr A McTaggart Short, of Cardiff, brother of the Mayor, thanked the company for the opportunity of meeting the Swansea Devonians. He read an extract from a poem by Edward Capern.

Endorsing the president’s remarks, the president-elect, Mr W J Webber) said he had been most impressed with the welcome that had been received.

Mr F Drew, a past president of the Society, and the son of the founder, said that he had looked forward to this visit to Devon for a long time.

The singing of ‘Auld Lang Syne’ and musical honours accorded to the Mayor, the visitors left for Ilfracombe to board the boat for home.

The full Gazette article is dated 1 September 1950