100 Years Ago

Christmas Eve at the Front

An interesting letter has just been received by Mrs Packer, of Broadclyst, from her husband, Corpl Packer of A Company, 1st Battalion Devonshire Regiment, who is serving with the Expeditionary Force in Northern France. In the course of a letter he describes a remarkable incident which occurred on Christmas Eve between the British and German trenches.

100 Years Ago - September 1916

On the front page of the 5th September edition is an advertisement for wooden 5 bar field gates, portable buildings, pigeon fanciers' lofts and motor car houses. All are constructed in timber (creosoting is extra). The supplier is F W Barker & Co Nottingham and all goods are priced to include carriage paid to any station. This is the first time that "out of area" traders have used the Gazette for advertising.

A W Cock, Auctioneer, offers for sale the following Bideford properties: - 25 Victoria Grove, 19 & 20 New Street, 50 Honestone Street and 22 Milton Place. All these properties have tenants in residence.

In the 12th September edition there is a half-page advert "Labour required for building munitions factories". Navvies and labourers not yet engaged in national work will be accepted. Every man enrolled will be given a certificate showing the service he has rendered to the country.

A public meeting of town traders convened by Bideford Chamber of Trade considered the question of closing shops earlier during the autumn and winter months because of the new public lighting order introduced by the government and to compensate for depleted staffing problems. The Chamber recommended 6pm closing on Monday, Thursday and Friday; 7pm on Tuesday and 8pm on Saturday. (Late night shopping is not a recent concept.)

The Vicar of Northam, Prebendary M D Dimond—Churchward, has announced his resignation due to advancing years. He was well known for his advocacy of Temperance and spoke extensively on the topic.

In Hartland, Mr W T Westlake has presented the United Methodist Church with a nice new clock.

At Parkham a slow corn harvest is blamed on the showery weather, rainfall during August having been 4.07 inches.

A heart-warming story comes in the District news from Alwington and we quote it here. "A good deal is heard about the young men slackers in North Devon. Many of them do not seem to have the same enthusiasm to serve their country as even the children, girls and women in their midst. Throughout the school holidays many of the children as well as their mothers, gave valuable help to the farmers during the corn harvest. One girl of 11 years led the horses for her father, while others assisted in binding. A farmer's wife drove the horses whilst riding on the machine while another pitched the corn. Others helped by driving the loads from the fields. On one farm a Superintendent of Police, on holiday from the East Coast, rendered yeoman service in the field while his daughters milked the cows and also helped in the cornfields".

100 Years Ago - August 1916

Applications for help must be made through the local labour exchange before 12 noon on 4 days hence on the12th August.

Members of Bideford Bridge Trust have visited Old Town Council School Gardens. 12 boys in the higher classes have been instructed by Mr Baxter & Mr White on how to till and grow vegetables. Each boy has been given a square pole of land (just over 5 square metres) for which they are entirely responsible and the whole group are tending a further 4 square poles. The boys were congratulated by the Mayor on their results after 5 months of work. Kent White and Middleton Wadey, both members of the school gardening club, proposed a Vote of Thanks to the Bridge Trust for providing the means to learn and receive instruction on such a useful subject. Both boys have won scholarships to Bideford Grammar School.

Excitement at Westward Ho! Life Guard assistance 1916 style. On Thursday evening Miss Violet Lewis got into difficulties while out swimming and called for help. Mr W T Braddick of Bideford who was on the Pebble Ridge was one of the first to see her in need of assistance and he swam out to her partly dressed and gave her support and directed her movements. Lt. W A Puddicombe, also of Bideford, who is home on leave injured, Mr T Hobling, Mr A Baglow and a gentleman from Weare Gifford were among those who went out to render assistance and the young lady was got safely in, none the worse for her experience.

100 Years Ago - July 1916

In the Bideford Borough Tribunal the Recruiting Sergeant has complained that Sidney Smith, aged 39, a motor driver in the employment of H Hopkins, was to be allowed exemption to undertake driving duties for Mr Metherell who is required to go and buy hay and straw for the Government up to October this autumn.

The August Bank Holiday this year will be suspended. The Government, said Prime Minister Mr Asquith, has decided that it is essential in the national interest that there shall be no holidays, general or local and a Proclamation would be made to this effect.

School boys both in Old Town Boys School and in the Grammar School have volunteered to help with the harvest. No extension to the set dates will be allowed despite several pleas from Councillors.

Bideford Town Council was anxious to secure a larger supply of water for the growing urban area. Late last year they had visited a possible site between Upcott and West Ashridge farms where a new reservoir might be built by throwing a dam across the Jennetts stream. In February this year an engineer had visited the site and measured water flows and calculated that a reservoir of 27 million gallons could be built. It was envisaged the Gammaton Reservoir would continue to supply the summer requirements and the new lake will help with the winter demand.