Shipping

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.

Leaded lights in the Golden Hinde replica,

which is to be launched from the shipyard of J Hinks and Son, Appledore, on the evening of April 5, are the work of Mr John Ford, aged 22, whose mother, Mrs P Ford lives at 35 New Street, Torrington.

Altogether there are 15 such lights, and they are tinted antique green. Mr Ford has also included a few 100-year-old pieces of glass he had in his possession.

After attending Torrington County Secondary School, he did a three-year diploma course at Bideford School of Art. He had a spell with Dartington Glass at Torrington, and has more recently been one of three stained glass artists engaged in restoring windows of Salisbury Cathedral, where he still has more work to do.

In addition to his work in stained glass, Mr Ford does diamond point engraving on glass. To mark the building and launching of the Golden Hinde, he has attractively engraved ten Dartington Glass goblets with the theme. These numbered goblets, on view at the Gallery Marin, Irsha Street, Appledore, seem destined to become collectors’ pieces.

Mr Ford and his wife Geraldine (a daughter of Mr and Mrs G F Jewell, of Merley Road, Westward Ho!) have recently moved to Manor House Cottage, Diddywell, and he plans to convert a garage into a studio.

Gazette article dated 30 March 1973

Golden Hinde Begins Sea Trials

On tomorrow’s early morning tide the full scale replica of Sir Francis Drake’s ‘Golden Hinde’ sets sail from Appledore, where she has been built at Hinks’ yard, to carry out sea trials.

She leaves Richmond Dock about 7am and returns on the evening tide about 6pm.

Her construction and fitting out has taken 21 months and to handcraft her out of traditional materials has cost some £250,000. She has been recreated for owners in San Francisco to commemorate Drake’s landing in the area in June 1579 on his epic circumnavigation of the world.

Captain Adrian Small and a crew of 15 expect to sail for London around July 3. She is expected to berth at Tower Pier, near the Tower of London, around July 15 for a stay of eight weeks.

In October the Golden Hinde is scheduled to sail out of Plymouth to retrace Drake’s voyage to Panama and on to her final berth in San Francisco, a voyage estimated to last 142 days.

Gazette article dated 29 June 1973

Brixham Skipper for Golden Hind

Captain Adrian Small

The 104ft replica of Drake’s famous ship, the Golden Hind, now being built at Messrs Hinks and Son’s yard, Appledore, will be commanded by Captain Adrian Small, of Spaniards, Ranscombe Road, Brixham, when she sets sail for America next year.

Captain Small earlier this year completed a tour of the Canadian Lakes in the Nonsuch, a replica of the Hudson’s Bay Company’s first trading ship which was built at the same Appledore yard.

When complete the Golden Hind, which sets sail from Plymouth, will weigh 100 tons and feature three masts and 14 cannon.

Gazette article dated 15 December 1972