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.

Grenville Bar is opened

Above is a photograph of the new Grenville Bar, at Westward Ho! Holiday Centre, which has been built in the shape of half a galleon, and was opened by Mr A G Pratley, general manager of Travco Hotels Ltd, on Friday.

Among the club members and guests present were Mr Gordon Harris and Mr Ted Harris, of Messrs P K Harris and Sons, the Appledore shipbuilders, who were responsible for its realistic construction.

Mr Bob Mitchell, of Westward Ho! the manager, said with guests rising to 600 weekly during the season, probably some 5,000 would become temporary club-members.

Full article dated 8 June 1956

3 Captains Her Crew

Ketch Irene leaves North Devon

Three captains of the old sailing tradition formed the crew of the ketch Irene which set sail from Bideford Quay to meet her new owner, Mr Os, at Hamble, in Southampton Waters.

They are Capt. W Schiller, Capt T Jewell, whose three-masted schooner Kathleen and May was sold earlier this year with an ultimate destination believed to be the West Indies, and Capt P Herbert, master of the Mary Stewart at present alongside the Quay.

“We are all three engineers” Capt Jewell told the Bideford Gazette, “and we shall be a happy ship for the 48-hour voyage with much in common. The master was once a boy under my command when I sailed the old Dolphin.

Both Capts Jewell and Schiller are Appledore men.

Gazette article dated 1 September 1961

Lifeboat to the Aid of ‘Nappy’ Vessel

The ex-RN pinnace Calypso, which was escorted into Clovelly harbour at about 1.30am yesterday by the local lifeboat,

was the boat that Ilfracombe Council had said must quit the harbour there by the end of the month after complaints that flapping nappies were spoiling the view.

Owned by Mr Brian Jackson, and with his wife, two children aged 20 months and three months, and with two men friends aboard, she was on her way to Padstow when her engine failed south of Hartland Point.

Anchor was dropped and the two men rowed ashore in a dinghy to raise the alarm. The dinghy was smashed but they scrambled ashore and climbed the cliffs at Morwenstow to reach the Rectory there.

Mr Jack Prince (chairman of Clovelly RNLI) was contacted by Cornwall County Police headquarters and the lifeboat, with Coxswain William Braund in command, was soon on its way.

Before they reached the vessel – anchored about a mile offshore near Higher Sharp Nose – a helicopter from RAF Chivenor, alerted by the Hartland Point coastguards, had lowered a winchman on to her. He told that the lifeboat was on its way.

Shortly afterwards it was alongside and crew members Messrs Percy Shackson and Barry Perham were put aboard. They restarted the engine.

By mid-morning the 80 year old floating home of the Jackson family was again on its way to Padstow.

Mr Prince told the Gazette that the message that reached him was that there were two adults and two children on board. He had heard that two adults’ had come ashore and so thought the two children were on their own.

Article dated 16 July 1965