May 1922

The first thing that caught our eye this month was a meeting of the Bideford and District Rescue and Preventive Association. It has links to the Diocese of Exeter and looks to be a forerunner of the Women’s Refuge movement. There is a report from the Barnstaple Shelter, where the costs are 8 shillings a week for a girl and 10 shillings and 6 pence for a mother and child.

Picking up on a story from last month, the new motor lifeboat for Appledore station was expected to arrive under her own power on or around 3 May. She has not yet been named. It seems she did arrive as expected because on 23 May she was called out to help the crew of the motor trawler Unity from Milford Haven. The Unity caught fire in the bay between Clovelly and Appledore while under the control of Coxswain Craner. All the crew were rescued by the lifeboat and the vessel subsequently wrecked near Rock’s Nose. Does anyone know what this new lifeboat was named?

In national news, there was a Budget on 1 May where 1 shilling was taken off Income Tax. Postage on letters is to be 1½d and postcards will be 1d. There is to be a new basis for tax on agricultural land. Ahead of the forthcoming General Election, Bideford Conservatives have been addressed by prospective candidate Mr W H Hewins. The speeches were interspersed with songs from Mr Johns and Mr Routley, Miss Short presiding at the piano.

There are protests at the continuing delay in moving forward the Torrington to Halwill railway scheme. This scheme would provide much needed work, meanwhile thousands of pounds are being paid out in unemployment benefit.

Mr Rendell of the Bideford District Employment Committee complains that six trucks of stone for road mending at Instow have come from Tavistock, when local quarries could be reopened and men employed there. The prospect of work on the railway is drawing tramps to the locality. There were 35 casuals at Bideford Workhouse at the beginning of the month compared to 11 at the same time last year. Torrington Guardians report an intake of 70 rather than 8 last year. Around half of these are regarded as genuine working men.

Messrs Yeo Brothers have guaranteed to build 6 or 8 houses at Instow if the council would extend the sewer to within 100 feet of the highest house. This would give employment to several men.

Fishermen in Appledore report that salmon fishing is very slack at present, possibly due to the recent heavy rainfall.

A concert by the Musical Festival Society in aid of Bideford Hospital features soloists Miss Hetty Gent, Mr J Northcote and Mr McWhinnie together with an orchestra of 35 performers. The event – held at the Market Hall – was attended by an audience of around 800 people. Meanwhile the Pierrotland Concert Party continues to thrive with a one-night-only appearance at Lewis’s Café in Westward Ho! The keynote of future programmes will be comedy combined with refinement.

Mr Will Pfounds, who is with the Pierrotland Party, is a comedian producer with a large and varied experience. He has come to Bideford direct from London Hippodrome and London Coliseum, where he has been playing responsible parts and producing in Messrs De Courville and Wylie and Tates' big West End productions. He has a quiet, spontaneous humour which is highly appreciated and he is an established favourite with Pierrotland. No one should miss this opportunity of seeing him which he is with the party. Mr Ron Currie, at present appearing at Pierrotland, Bideford, is a comedian well known in the London area, likewise the North of England, having recently terminated a successful pantomime season as Widow Twankey in Aladdin at the Opera House, Leicester. He is only in Bideford for a few weeks and those who appreciate 'spontaneous subtlety' should not miss seeing him.

Mr William Heard of Shop, Morwenstow, has retired as rural postman after more than 30 years’ service. It is reported that he has “fulfilled his postal duties most faithfully, with real consideration to the convenience and needs of the people on his daily round”.

In food related stories, Wyatt’s Stores in Westward Ho! offer Boar’s Head Brawn and Galantines of Chicken alongside the usual ham and tongue. Eggs for pickling are available from L D Moseley, Staddon Poultry Farm, Appledore, while Mr Reynolds of Velly, Clovelly, will buy Bacon Pigs on behalf of the Central Wiltshire Bacon Co of Devizes. There's a battle of the bread producers - whose bread is best? - Reed's of Appledore lays claim!

There are several lost and found items this month:

4 sheep have been lost from Stibb Cross Auctions; they are marked blue on the off pin (leg?) and are the property of H Tucker, Commons Farm, Northam.

A dark blue blanket edged in red has been lost between Bucks Mills and Westward Ho! A reward for recovery can be claimed at Sea Vista, Westward Ho!

Several head of poultry have been lost at Parkham. It is not known whether a 2 legged or 4 legged Reynard (fox) is to blame.

Mr A G Davis, 30 Geneva Place, Bideford, offers a 10-shilling reward for information leading to the conviction of a person who stole 12 spring cabbages from his allotment.

Finally, it is reported that Major A Windham, formerly of The Balconies, Instow, was killed by his own spear while out boar hunting. Does anyone know where this happened?

May 1972

Bideford Round Table raised over £576 for charitable purposes in what had been an active year, the annual meeting was told. Of this amount, over £260 had been raised by the Christmas carol project which was to become an annual event with a target next Christmas of over £300. A go-kart meeting had raised £140 and £100 had been raised by a barn dance. Donations included £100 to Abbeyfield, £200 for multiple sclerosis research and £67 for Cheshire Homes. Mr Martin Burdick is the new chairman with Mr Graham Grant as vice-chairman. Secretary, Mr Peter Crossley; treasurer, Mr Peter Morris; social committee chairman, Mr Graham Binnie; projects committee chairman, Mr Alan Slater; community service chairman, Mr Brian Redmore; area representatives, Mr Grant and Mr Geoff Day; auditor, Mr Peter Jackson.

Wearing the badge presented to her for 15 years’ service to WRVS by the Mayor of Bideford, Mr Pat Hughes, is Mrs D Shortridge. The plaque held by Miss J Phillips (rural organiser) was sent by 234 Signals Squadron, Malta, in gratitude for many parcels of magazines and books she has dispatched to them. Also in the picture are Mrs P T Keene (centre organiser) and Mrs J Mosley (County organiser).

Peter Druce is Bideford’s Player of the Year. Pictured are the players who have provided Bideford’s first team squad in their 1971-72 championship season. They are: John Mock, Colin Rowe, Steve Snell, Trevor Burnell, Russell Petersen, Derek May, Trevor Morris, Micky Hillson, David Ainscough, Trevor Anthony, Ben Murphy, Peter Druce, John Gauntlett, Brent Howard.

Bideford YC challengers once for the championship of Division III of North Devon League, can still win a trophy if they beat Shapland and Petter in the final of the North Devon Challenge Cup. The picture shows – Grenville Thisby, Brian Popham, Ron Screech, Chris Taylor, Ken Lloyd, Danny Oke, Pat Riley, Bob Way (trainer), Brian Hillman, Geoff Butler, Geoff Fanson, David Allen, Mike Tkaczuk, John Coote.

Pictured with their trophies are the chief winners at Bideford and District Darts League’s finals night held at the Bideford Centre. The Lamb Chops, winners of the sixes and threes in Division I and pairs and champion of champions cups pose with Mrs G Andrews, wife of the licensee of the Lamb – K Keen, O Trick, R Neale, D Heaman, K Hopkins, C Davey, I Warman. Singles winner Mervyn Parrish is congratulated by runner-up Herbie Smale as the Darts Queen, Mrs Beryl Sleigh, presents the trophy.

Two teams who have had a successful season in the Bideford Women’s Skittles League are the Tornadoes and the Coasters. The Tornadoes, who play at Bideford Liberal Club, won the champion of champions trophy and the Division II championship in their first year together. They are Mesdames E Beer, C Conebear, S Spry, M Clements, Miss E Jones and Mrs J Bell. The Coasters were runners-up in Division I and took the J Venus Cup for the highest away aggregate as well as the Sally Braddick and Mother’s Pride knock-out trophies. But winning trophies is no new thing for the Coasters. In the past six years they have won the J Venus cup six times, the Mother’s Pride cup three times, the Sally Braddick Rosebowl twice and the Gladys Fulford fruitbowl once. In this period, too, they have been champion of champions twice, Division I champion three times, and runners-up twice. And one of their members, Mrs G Redclift, has taken the individual trophy for the highest away scores. They are Miss J Copp, Mrs V Headon, Miss D Copp, Mrs G Redclift, and Mrs F Copp. Missing is Mrs D Woolridge.

About two in five of Bideford Town Council tenants qualified for rent rebates the Mayor, Mr Pat Hughes, told members. Of the 806 tenants, 524 had applied for rebates and 339 had qualified. They were receiving on average of £1. The Borough Treasurer, Mr T W Frankland, explained that after the Housing Finance Bill became law it would be necessary to publish details of the proposed fair rents and to notify tenants so that they could appeal in writing against the Council’s proposals.

All smiles as one of the eight coachloads of children and teachers from Bideford Westcroft Junior School, and parents, prepare to set off on a day trip to the Dart Valley. They enjoyed what for many of the children was a novelty – a ride on the Dart Valley Railway – with lunch at Staverton Bridge. A steamer trip up the Dart followed. The 200 children were on their way home before a jinx revealed itself. Inexplicably a windscreen on one coach shattered and then another coach broke down. A relief vehicle arrived, passengers transferred and then that coach also broke down. The second relief arrived home about 11.30pm – three hours after the other passengers. But all voted it a great day.

Girls will be attending Bideford Grammar School for the first time in the school’s long history when it re-assembles after the summer holidays. Devon County Education Committee have brought forward their plans for co-education because of the high proportion of girls who have been selected for grammar school courses this year with the result that there are more girls than places for them at Edgehill College and Stella Maris School. About 16 to 20 girls are expected to form the first group at the Grammar School.

Six Torridgeside Councils – Bideford Borough and Rural, Torrington Borough and Rural, Northam Urban and Holsworthy Rural - are likely to oppose the Boundary Commission’s proposal to set up one giant North Devon Council. At a lengthy meeting it was felt that such a large unit would be unwieldly in terms of decision making and local interests would not be clearly represented. How interested would a man in Lynton be in the affairs of a man at Hartland?

Identical in looks and dress – 11 year old twins Tony and Terry Gilbert, who added colour to Torrington’s May Fair ceremony.

The three Cramp sisters have the finishing touches deftly applied by the Mayoress, Mrs Dorothy Pollard and the dressmaker, Mrs Pat Martin, before taking part in May Fair celebrations.

So far Torrington Rural Council have not been inundated with Council house tenants wanting to buy their own houses. Until that happened the question of whether there should be a limitation on the number of houses sold did not arise, suggested the Clerk, Mr Bernard Leatt. At the moment, all applications to purchase were considered as they arose. There would be no difficulty, for instance, if the tenants of a pair of houses on the outskirts of an estate wanted to buy, but there might be a problems in dealing with an application for a house in the centre of a Council estate. Mr C H Trace raised the question about the limitation on selling on the grounds that there would always be a large number of people who could not raise mortgages and who had to rent houses.

Miss Margaret Heywood, of Broad Parkham Farm, Parkham, chosen as Buckland Brewer YFC dairy queen. At Barnstaple she competes for the area title.

When MP Mr Kenneth McIver, of Northam, Western Australia, presented in Northam, Devon, a plaque bearing the coat of arms of his town there was a direct family link. In the photograph – Mr Kenneth McIver, Mrs Reynolds, Dr Reynolds, Mr James Paterson and Council chairman Mr R H K Evers.

Skipper Mike Lloyd laces his boots before he and his Appledore Primary School team take the field for one of their important games of the season – against their mothers, who are also seen. Challengers were the mums – after the fathers had been beaten.

Although this has not been the best of seasons for Appledore Minors there is no doubt that they have footballing talent and some of the youngsters have already been making their mark in the higher grade. In the photo – Tom Waters (Club coach), Dave Smith, Alec Green, Paul Cook, Keith Peake, Ian Lamont, Chris Drayton, Len White (Club official), Geoff Giddy, Paul Barratt, Brian Cook, Micky Prouse and Alan Morse.

Appledore Shipbuilders Ltd are looking forward to £1,000,000 profits this year, announced Mr John Young, the managing director of Court Line.

The £2 million holiday complex scheme for Westward Ho! proposed by a private firm of developers has been turned down by Northam Urban Council. After taking the advice of the County Planning Officer, Mr Phipps Turnbull, and the Divisional Planning Officer, Mr J Sims, the Council considered the plan to be ‘premature’. But Mr John smith, chairman of the Council’s Highways and Amenities Committee, which considered the project, told the Council meeting “I personally feel rather sorry that a scheme of this magnitude could not be agreed by this Council.” He said it was a scheme which was quite comparable with the original scheme over 100 years ago which formed Westward Ho! Mr Smith said it would be “a great shame” if a company which had imagination and money and which, in vulgar terms, were prepared to put their money where their mouth was, was frightened away from the area.

May 1997

At the age of 70 Barbara Wearne of Instow is preparing for her last ‘big effort’ for charity – a near 500 mile bike ride through a mountainous region of Malawi. She is due to start her two-week ride on May 24 in an attempt to raise £1,050 for LEPRA, the British Leprosy Relief Association. This time Barbara will be a member of a group of 18 British cyclists taking part in the sponsored event through remote areas of Africa; they will travel up to 60 miles a day over often hilly terrain and dirt tracks. But first Barbara has been practicing hard on the hills of North Devon to get accustomed to the gears of the ladies’ mountain bike given to her by a member of Instow Church. “I am not really a bike rider and have been told just to use the five gears on one side or it might get too complicated” she said.

Wesley Withey of Torrington has been voted Hatherleigh Cricket Club’s best batsman for 1996.

Tadworthy House in Northam is a highly individual property with a detached tower house which provides self-contained two-bedroomed accommodation. The main house was built in the 16th century and has Georgian and Victorian extensions. It offers spacious six-bedroomed accommodation and was once run as a family hotel. An extensive programme of improvements has been undertaken in the past few years. Terraced and landscaped gardens extend to about a third of an acre.

Chapel House, Northam, is for sale.

Roy Bezzina of Ethelwynne Brown Close, Bideford, presented coins collected in milk bottles to Tarka Home Trust boosting their appeal to over £25,000. The Trust provides residential facilities for local people with autism. Weare Giffard Hall is hosting another fund raising event this month.

Sir Bobby Charlton was a proud president of Shamwickshire Rovers (East-the-Water). Yes, it was him of Manchester United and England fame! Do you know the story behind that? The Rovers had just won the North Devon League Premier Division title for the first time in nearly 80 years.

Retiring Mayor of Bideford, Hugo Barton, showed his support for a ‘forgotten group’ when he handed £670 to Bideford and Torridgeside Carers Support Group. The presentation was one of Mr Barton’s final acts as Mayor, and the money was raised at the annual Civic Ball, the town’s carol concert and from donations received from visitors taking part in recently established guided town trails. The picture shows Mr Babb and fellow support group members receiving the cheque.

Appledore’s lifeboat’s Coxswain, Michael Bowden, presented a painting of the Lifeboat Station to Dave Garrett who has served for 30 years.

Advertising wars between Tesco and Sainbury’s – according to this Tesco advert, the same items would have cost £45.02 at J Sainsbury’s.