Long service
3 January 1964
Constable Elias Palmer19th Century
The Gray Family17 April 1970
Torrington Specials21 October 1947
Will continue to live in the Bideford area16 June 1967
Homecoming6 February 1976
Life saving actions4 May 1973
Old Boy of BGS19 November 1954
Was the road safety organiser and instructor3 July 1964
Was it ever claimed?7 June 1963
Great composure4 May 1973
Long service3 January 1964
Debt to 'Specials'
In the first issue of the New Year it is appropriate to acknowledge with thanks the voluntary service of Special Constables, and in particular the recent promotion of Mr T C Bird, after 32 years' service to the position of Area Officer for the Bideford district.
Mr Bird, who has for long been identified with the success of Bideford Rugby Club, has succeeded Mr G W Blackman, MBE, who has also served the town in many ways , including 16 years's service as Area Officer and as the Secretary of Bideford Horse Show Society.
Mr Blackman has received a certificate of thanks for his long services to the Special Constabulary.
Gazette article dated 3 January 1964
The Gray Family17 April 1970
Westward Ho! Family
It was no surprise to Mr and Mrs J W Gray, of ‘Tidworth’, Atlantic Way, Westward Ho! when, one after another, their two sons and daughter found jobs that put them in uniform.
John, at 21 the ‘baby’ is a corporal in the RAF Police. He is now serving in the Overseas Command at Sharjah, in the Trucial Oman States, Persian Gulf.
After completing an apprenticeship at Appledore Shipbuilders Ltd, Robert, joined the Merchant Navy in 1967. Robert’s wife Marion and daughter, Sally Anne, also live at Tidworth.
Carole left Stella Maris School at the age of 16 and worked at the offices of Appledore Shipbuilders Ltd before joining the police in 1966.
Gazette article dated 17 April 1970
Torrington Specials21 October 1947
Tribute to their work
When he recently visited North Devon to present medals and bars to members of the Special Constabulary in recognition of their services, the Chief Constable of Devon (Lieut-Col. R R M Bacon) paid tribute to their valued work and assured them that the Special Constabulary would continue to play a very substantial part in the police machine of the County.
This picture shows the Chief Constable addressing ‘Specials’ at Torrington.
Among those in the picture, on the left, are Messrs G B Blatchford, F R Hodge, J J Jenkins and A E Muncey.
Article dated 21 October 1947
Will continue to live in the Bideford area16 June 1967
Police Inspector D T P Cowling and Sergeant R Honeywill,
both of Bideford, who joined Devon Constabulary together on August 1st, 1937, are soon to retire – on the same day, July 31st.
They have been at Bideford since Inspector Cowling was appointed the town’s police chief in 1962 after having served as sergeant at Seaton for seven years. Previously he was at Newton Poppleford.
During the war he served in the RAF in the Middle East, having been one of the first batch of pilots to train in South Africa.
He is a member of the county police water polo team, having swum for them since he joined the force, and he formerly played rugger for the country police team.
Road safety has always been a particular interest. At Seaton he organised cycling proficiency tests for children and he is a keen member of Bideford Road Safety Committee. He holds the Queen’s Coronation Medal.
Sergt Honeywill is senior sergeant at Bideford. He was stationed at Crown Hill, Bampton, Torquay, Lifton and Okehampton...
Homecoming6 February 1976
The Sex Discrimination Act may have brought its fair share of controversy and problems, but at Bideford at least it has one compensation – the town now has its first woman police officer.
But any locals who feel they might ‘get away’ with anything when faced with a slim 23 year old brunette instead of a burly six-fott ‘bobby’ are likely to be sadly disappointed.
For WPC Christine Short of Westward Ho! is an experienced officer, having served with the Bristol force for two and a half years and then at Barnstaple before moving to Bideford. “I arrested several while at Bristol” was her cool reply when asked what she would do if confronted, for instance, with a drunk.
Her posting to Bideford was something of a homecoming for Christine, for her parents, Mr and Mrs William Pickett, live at Burrough Road, Northam.
She lives with her husband Tony – also a police officer – in a Westward Ho! police house.
The full Gazette article is dated 6 February 1976
Life saving actions4 May 1973
Two local police officers who risked their lives last November to rescue a 15 year old Bideford teenager from drowning have been awarded the Royal Humane Society’e testimonial on vellum.
They are PC Peter Murphy, who lives in Clifton Street, Bideford, and Motor Patrol Constable John Truelove who lives at Westward Ho!
The boy they rescued, Paul Reeve, of the Stores Café, Barnstaple Street, Bideford, had gone into the River Torridge to swim to his parents’ boat when he got into difficulties in the ice cold water.
A 999 call brought the two officers to the scene and between them they brought the boy to shore safely.
Paul’s father, Mr Roy Reeve, said afterward: “We would have lost our son if it had not been for their action which was beyond the call of duty.”
Gazette article dated 5 May 1973
Old Boy of BGS19 November 1954
Old Boy of Bideford GS
His many friends in the Bideford and Northam districts will be pleased to learn of the recent promotion to Sergeant in the Metropolitan Police of Mr Cecil Gutsell, only sone of Lieut. W F Gutsell RN (retd) and Mrs Gutsell, of Inglenook, Northam.
Sergeant Gutsell, who is 25, joined the Poice, after completing his National Service in a Royal Marine commando, in November 1949, and his promotion after a minimum of five years makes him one of the youngest Police Sergeants in the British Isles. He passed an open competitive promotion examination in February of this year.
He is an Old Boy of Bideford Grammar School where he was captain of the School rugby XV.
Gazette article dated 19 November 1954
Was the road safety organiser and instructor3 July 1964
After nearly 27 years’ service in Devon Constabulary, PC Leonard Clarke, of Bideford, is to retire to take up the position of rent and rate collector to Bideford Rural Council.
During the nearly four years that he has been stationed in Bideford, in which he was born, PC Clarke has shown a keen interest in road safety and has been road safety organiser and instructor for local schools.
Another important responsibility was that for the administration of the Special Constabulary in the town.
He began his career in the Force at headquarters and his first station was Teignmouth. Subsequently he served in other parts of South Devon as well as at Woolacombe and Torrington. He now lives at 30 Moreton Park, Bideford.
The Rural Council on Tuesday agreed to offer him the post of rate and rent collector at a salary commencing at £755-£780 a year from August 1st, 1964. He will be paid a travelling allowance of 9d a mile and the appointment is subject to the Local Government Superannuation Acts.
Was it ever claimed?7 June 1963
Police Constables Len Clarke and Ron Fayter made an unusual arrest at the bottom of Bideford High Street at 1am on Wednesday.
The offender was a pony that was about to take off up the street. It was caught and put into a field. Yesterday morning it had not been claimed.
Gazette article dated 7 June 1963
Great composure4 May 1973
Because of their road sense
Russell (6) finds his way home
Police were called in and Bideford streets searched this week when six years old Russell Yelland, staying on holiday with his grandparents at Westward Ho! became separated from his parents while they were shopping.
Just over an hour later the search was called off when Russell walked calmly into the Beach Road home of his surprised grandparents, Mr and Mrs Arthur Davies, and explained “They left me in town”.
During his three-mile walk from Bideford to Westward Ho! he had negotiated 11 busy road junctions but Russell told his parents Mr and Mrs David Yelland, on holiday from Germany where Mr Yelland is stationed with the Army: “It was all right – I learned my highway code at school.”
And he added: “I didn’t cry, people might have laughed at me.”
The only previous occasion he had travelled the route was by car.
Andrew (10) is reported by police
A policeman on patrol car duty watched carefully as a young Bideford schoolboy rode his...