Anxious search for three missing Torrington boys

Three Torrington boys who were reported missing on Sunday were found some nine hours later, in failing light, on the banks of the river Torridge at Beam, three miles away from their homes.

The boys were (L to R) seven-year-old Tony Allen, eight-year-old Nicholas Hammett and Tony’s seven-year-old cousin, Richard Roach.

Tony related his experiences: ‘We were going to hike to Bideford to have a look around. I know my way there all right but when we went off the main road, we got lost. We tried to find the road again but couldn’t, so when we came to a fisherman’s carrier, we all jumped in it and tried to get across the river to the other bank. But half-way across the carrier got stuck so we returned to the bank by catching hold of the guide wires, pulling ourselves hand over hand to where we started’. Tony said they were starving. Nicholas had started to eat some grass ‘but I don’t like grass so I didn’t try to eat any.’

When it began to get dark, they became frightened ‘but none of us cried until we saw Daddy coming for us.’ They were never going to do it again.

Gazette article 20 October 1961