Commemorative

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.

Despite the expectation of Japan’s early acceptance of surrender, the streets of Northam were dark and empty just before midnight on Tuesday.

But, within a very short time of the official announcement a complete change took place. Lights appeared in the windows and voices could be heard calling, ‘It’s all over, Japan has given in’. Then followed the music of an impromptu band and choir parading the streets.

Early on Wednesday morning villagers were busy with decorations. Services of thanksgiving and prayer were held in Parish Churches. In the evening the streets were crowded people wending their way to the Square where dancing to the accompaniment of music from a Radio Van was carried on until well past midnight.

Thursday night saw the culmination of the celebrations when a fancy dress parade enlivened the streets with its bright colours. On Bone Hill a bonfire was lit and then followed dancing on the Square as on the previous night.

One and all entered into the spirit of final victory and a thoroughly enjoyable time was spent by old and young. The village’s thanks are due to those tradesmen who organised the festivities on both evenings.

Gazette article dated 21 August 1945

Letter to the Editor

Sir

In the careful and well carried out organisation for rejoicing over the Japanese surrender, which took place on the Broad Quay for so many hours on VJ Day (as well as on the following evening), I felt there was one grave omission.

Since it was possible and timely to break into the programme to let the assembled crowd hear the King’s speech, surely it would have been fitting to broadcast the short but very beautiful service which preceded it.

There would have been nothing incongruous in that being included in the rejoicing; I feel strongly that on such a day public thanksgiving to God might well have had place with provision for public rejoicing, and thus the reminder have been given that ‘The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad;’.

L Grace, Quay House, Bideford

VJ and Instow’s Significant Anniversary

The peaceful sleep being enjoyed by the inhabitants of Instow in the first hour of the day that heralded August 15th was broken,

and oh! how sweetly, by the sound of Appledore church bells ringing out over the waters of the Torridge. They they knew, like the millions of other waking inhabitants of this country, that peace had come at last, not merely the cessation of hostilities in Europe but the end of the greatest of all wars, the subjugation of aggressors near and far. Peace at last!

Short as was the notice, arrangements were quickly in hand to celebrate as fittingly as possible this epoch-making event. The many war vessels lying in Torridge waters became gay with flags which fluttered in a strong breeze. Decorations appeared on house-fronts. Eager hands gathered material for a bonfire on the sands at Lane End. Many article of wartime impediments which have done duty, not always to the satisfaction of the local inhabitants, and have lain apparently uselessly upon the beach and in it vicinity for years, found their way to the pile of inflammable material which quickly gathered size awaiting the hours of darkness.

In the afternoon ‘all the work and his wife’ and more particularly his children, found their way to the North Devon Cricket Ground, again kindly placed at their disposal by Col R M White, Commanding Officer of the REME Camp. He and his ever willing officers and men once more acted as sponsors to a most enjoyable sports meeting. At 5pm happy youngsters rushed off to the sand to participate in rides over a large portion of the beach at low tide on tanks, Bren-gun carriers and other ponderous machines of war, and great was the thrill felt by the children and their elders as they bumped and swayed around the ‘course’.

When darkness fell, broken only by a fitful moon and the lights from ships and from Appledore, the bonfire at Lane End was lighted and blazed finely until a very late hour. A few lucky youngsters had procured fireworks which were a source of great joy. Service men were quick to initiate a ‘sing-song’ and in a trice a piano was procured, wheeled into the roadway, and became the centre of a joyous group who ‘kept it up’ in approved fashion.

At 11.15pm Mr T Anstey, chairman of the Instow Parish Council, made a brief speck in which he reminded the assembly that on that very spot, exactly five years ago to the minute, German bombs had dropped, and that the people of this country owed it to the stout-hearted members of the Navy, Army and Air Force that they had been spared to see this happy day of peace and liberation. ‘Auld Lang Syne’ and the National Anthem closed Instow’s Peace Day celebrations.

On Thursday the Navy kindly provided landing craft for trips up and down the river during the morning. At night bonfires again blazed on the beach.

Gazette article dated 21 August 1945