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War Office requirements6 April 1951
130 acres at Instow
A large portion of Instow beach, and of Braunton Burrows and Saunton beach, is wanted by the War Office for military training and there will be a public enquiry into these requirements at Barnstaple Guildhall on May 9th.
About 1,500 acres in all are required.
Combined Operations Experimental Establishment will be transferred entirely from Westward Ho! to Fremington where the Vicarage and the grounds surrounding may be taken over.
The Zeta berth opposite Westleigh may be retained permanently.
In the parish of Instow they require the REME camp site with its five and a half acres, and want, in addition, 130 acres of Instow sands below high water mark from the Jubilee Hall, north-east towards the cricket ground.
Live ammunition will be used at the Burrows; the land at Crowe is required for demolition training, and Instow beach for vehicle trials.
Gazette article dated 6 April 1951
Related to the Harding family20 August 1965
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.
Harding is no stranger to Bideford. Before emigrating in 1938 to marry Mr Douglas Dies, a public relations man for the US Department of Agriculture, his mother was Miss Mary Harding, whose father, the late Mr C S F Harding, was for many years headmaster of what is now Bideford County Secondary School. Her mother, Mrs Lilian Harding, lives in Abbotsham Road, and it is with his grandmother that Harding is staying for...
PO Richard Bray15 December 1942
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.
He was accompanied at the investiture by his wife and sister-in-law.
Gazette article 15 December 1942
David Yelland13 September 1963
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 Grammar School, L/Bdr Yelland served in the Territorial Army with 296 Field Regiment RA and was also a member of the Church Lads’ Brigade.
Gazette article 13 September 1963
Trips around the estuary13 October 1967
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 knots and a four-hour cruising range. It is powered by a Bristol-Siddely Gnome gas turbine of 900 shaft-horse power, and has radar and radio.
Arrangements were made for representatives of local authorities to be taken for trips around the Taw and Torridge estuary on the hovercraft.
Gazette article dated 13 October 1967
Dymond20 June 1965
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 worked as a butcher for the local Cooperative Society before joining the Royal Artillery for nine years in 1963. He has served 18 months with BAOR.
He has five brothers and two sisters all living in Devon.
Gazette edition dated 27 June 1969
Docked in Singapore28 November 1952
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 in the Far East.
With the photograph, they send their greetings to the people of Torrington whom they hope to see again soon.
The letter was sent to Mr Jack Hutchings, correspondent and agent for the Bideford Gazette.
28 November 1952
John Costa4 January 1969
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 her youngest daughter he had asked that the baby should be called Sandra Elizabeth if it was a girl. A girl it was, and last weekend, Mr Costa saw Mrs Sandra Elizabeth Prouse for the first time since he left her kicking in her cradle. Even after 25 years Mr Costa was able to direct the taxi driver straight to the Bedler home and tell him he had taken a wrong turning although ‘houses stand where fields used to be.’
Gazette dated 4...