While on a visit to his grandmother in Bideford, a six-foot two-inch American student, wearing an all-white naval uniform, marched along the Quay on Friday evening to make a little bit of history.

When 17 year old Harding Dies, from Virginia, formally boarded Bideford Sea Cadets’ training ship Bideford he is believed to have become the first member of the United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps to be so received in this country.

At the quayside, Harding, a senior apprentice in the US Corps, was met by Lieut-Cmdr Tome Rowe, head of Bideford Sea Cadets, and members of the unit.

Recently receiving the Distinguished Service Medal at an investiture at Buckingham Palace

was Petty Officer (Engineman) Richard Bray, RNVR, of Wayside Garage, Langtree. The award was for services aboard of one HM minesweepers.

Prior to volunteering for service at the outbreak of war, Petty Officer Bray, who is a native of Braunton, was an agricultural engineer in business at Langtree.

For some years he was the engineer aboard the MV Lerina which ran from Instow to Lundy Island and was commanded by the late Capt Fred Dark, of Instow.Petty Officer Bray has had almost a lift-time's association with the sea.

Taking part in a recent training demonstration

by the Royal Artillery in Germany was 30 year old L/Bdr David Yelland , ‘Glenlea’, Beach Road, Westward Ho!

L/Bdr Yelland, a Ministry of Aviation police constable before joining the Regular Army in 1960, is now a surveyor and is serving in BAOR with 21 Regiment RA.

The training demonstration was staged to show the important role played by the Royal Artillery and its method of operation. Some of the latest radar and locating equipment was used. In the picture L/Bdr Yelland is seen operating a tellurometer – a distance measuring instrument.

An ex-pupil of

Bideford’s waterfront on the River Torridge

seldom fails to offer something of interest to see, and this week it has been more than usually interesting with a visit by the Army hovercraft on three weeks of exercised in the Bristol Channel area.

Our photograph show its first visit at the weekend, with one of the helicopters of RAF Chivenor doing its own kind of hovering overhead.

This is the first time an Army hovercraft has operated in the Bristol Channel, and exercises will extend across to South Wales.

The craft is 39ft by 24ft, has a top speed of 60

Buying from a sweet stall

in a Hong Kong village is Bideford solder, 22 year old Gunner Chris Dymond, who is a driver with 25 Light Regiment, Royal Artillery.  Chris was posted to the Far East for a two and a half year tour of duty and is based in Sek Kong in the New Territories, close to the Red China border.

The Regiment’s duties include manning border observation points and it also does a lot of work aiding remote civilian committees.

Son of Mrs L Dymond, who lives at 52 Barton Tors, Bideford , Chris attended Bideford County School and

Greetings to the people of Torrington

This photograph received from Drummer C W Gilbert of HQ Company 1st Battalion, Dorset Regiment, BAPO 1, shows five Torrington boys who met on the Empire Fowey which left Southampton for Hong Kong early last month.

The photograph was taken as the ship was docking at Singapore and shows Corporal W H Stacey, Army Catering Corps, attached to the 1st Battalion, Dorset Regiment; Drummer C W Gilbert; Leading Seaman C R Sanders, Royal Navy; Rifleman G Drew and Rifleman O Stacey, both of C Company. Leading Seaman Sanders is now serving on HMS Ladybird

A former GI, now living in East Manning Street, Rhode Island,

returned to Bideford to see his ‘English Mother.’

Left to right in the photograph – Mrs Sandra Prouse, Mr John Costa (holding Mrs Prouse’s baby, Robert, Mrs Lilian Bedler, Mrs Connie Shapland, Mr Harry Bedler, Mrs Joan West, Mrs Mary Costa

This is what Mr John Costa calls Mrs Lilian Bedler, of 19 Bowden Green. In 1943 Mr Costa, then 21, was at Handy Cross Camp almost opposite the Bedler home. Mrs Bedler recalled: ‘He was always in and out, more like a son, really.’

Shortly before the birth of