Names

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.

Mr and Mrs C Beer’s golden wedding

Their golden wedding was on Wednesday and they marked it with a family celebration. Twelve telegrams of good wishes and many other messages were received. From their children, and there are ten of them, they received a wireless set and a fireside chair to mark the occasion. Their grandson, Mr Eric Beer, serving in the RAF abroad, sent a cablegram. Among their visitors was the Mayor of Bideford, Mr T A Goaman, who offered cordial congratulations and good wishes.
Before her marriage Mrs Beer was a Miss Grace Parr of Buckland Brewer and was one of a family of seven. Her husband was one of eight and came from Shirwell, the other side of Barnstaple. They have five sons and five daughters, namely Miss K Beer, Miss A Beer, Mr J Beer, Mr W Beer, Mr A F Beer, Mrs O Taylor, Mrs B Shortridge, Mr G E Beer, Mrs F Boon and Mr A A Beer.
Both Mr and Mrs C Beer are in their 75th year and they were deeply touched by the many kind messages they had received. All their married life they have attended the Bridge Street Methodist Church. They have lived in Torridge Street, East-the-Water, Westcombe Gardens and in Myrtle Grove. They remember when there were no houses on the Belvoir estate. Pitt Lane was a narrow place with blackberry bushes growing on one side.
The full Gazette article is dated 6 July 1937

NEW MAYOR BELONGS TO ONE OF COUNTY'S OLDEST FAMILIES - NOW CONCLUDING YEAR AS SHERIFF OF DEVON

Cllr Lt-Col R D D Birdwood, of Horwood House, who this month concludes a year of office as Sheriff of Devon, has accepted an invitation to become the next Mayor of Bideford.

The invitation was extended on Monday, the present Mayor (Dr I H Hewetson) having regretfully declined an invitation to continue for a second term. Dr Hewetson's reason, the Town Clerk (Mr L B Galliford) told the Town Council meeting was professional commitments now being carried out by his colleagues.

A member of one of Devon's most ancient families - in the Exon Domesday a Birdwood is recorded as holding a manor for the Domesday Lord of Totnes - Lieut-Col Birdwood has followed a long family tradition of service in the Forces of the Crown and service to the community as a resident of Devon. Forbears were Mayors of Totnes and Plymouth. His uncle, Field Marshall Lord Birdwood, was made a Freeman of Totnes in 1919.

Brought up at Roborough, North Devon, Lieut-Col Birdwood was in the Indian Medical Service until 1947. During the second world war he served in North Africa and South East Asia Command, winning the Military Cross. Two years after the war he returned to North Devon and took up farming at Warmington, Bideford. His pedigree Dairy Shorthorns have won many prizes and he has been chairman of the South West Shorthorn Breeders' Association. A keen follower of hounds, he is chairman of Torrington Farmers' Hunt, and has been president of Bideford Horse Show and Instow Agricultural Show, was secretary of Alverdiscott Show for about 14 years, and is secretary of Alverdiscott Parish Hall Committee. He is president of Bideford District Youth Amateur Boxing Club and of Bideford No. 2 (original) branch of the Old age Pensions Association. From 1947 to 1962, when the family moved to Horwood, he was Rector's warden at Alverdiscott Church. A member of the Town Council since 1959, he is now chairman of the Water Committee.

The Mayoress-elect is the daughter of the late Sir Thomas and Lady Bilbe-Robinson, of Fittleworth, Sussex. For some years she was a member of a voluntary organisation assisting with maternity and child welfare work at Islington. For nine years, until resigning three years ago owing to pressure of other work, she served on the North Devon Hospital Management Committee, being chairman of the nursing sub-committee. Since 1950 she has been a JP for Devon, sitting on the Torrington Bench, and she is a member of the Devon Magistrates' Courts Committee and of the County
Probation Committee, representing the last mentioned on the County Children's Committee. Mrs Birdwood, a former district commissioner of the Pony Club, is president of Alverdiscott Show.
Lieut-Col and Mrs Birdwood have two sons and a daughter. The elder son, Mr Roger Birdwood, who is growing tobacco in Southern Rhodesia, is married and has a son; their daughter Georgina last September became Mrs John Kirkland and now lives at Coleford, near Crediton; their younger son Gordon, who is 14, is at Wellington College.

When the Mayor announced at Monday's meeting of the Town Council that the recommendation of the General Purposes Committee to invite Lieut-Col Birdwood to accept nomination as Mayor had been carried unanimously, Cllr T W Sherborne interjected; 'No it's not'. He said he was 'not against' Col Birdwood 'as a gentleman or a suitable man for the job.'

Bideford’s Senior Hon. Freeman - Funeral of Sir Hugh Stucley 1956

Representatives from many spheres of county and local life attended the funeral service at Bideford Parish Church on Monday for Sir Hugh N G Stucley, Bart. to whose death at the age of 83 at his Bideford home, Moreton, reference was made in last week’s issue.

Sir Hugh, who was Bideford’s senior honorary freeman, had upheld a family tradition of long and valued service to the community. For generations the family has been connected with the borough and had held land in Devon for close on 1,000 years.
The fourth baronet, succeeding to the title in 1927, he is followed by his eldest son, Major Dennis F B Stucley, of Hartland Abbey, who is prominently associated with public work.
Official flags were flown at half-mast at Bideford. Members of the Corporation attended the service wearing their robes. The borough maces were tied with black ribbon and members of the Council wore black rosettes.
Cremation followed at Plymouth, and later the ashes are to be scattered on the moor near Affeton Castle which the family has held for 600 years.
At Sir Hugh’s special request there were no public flowers at the funeral but flowers blooming in tribute in the autumn sunshine in the beautiful garden at Moreton which he created. One wreath rested on the coffin.
The service was conducted by the Rector of Bideford, Preb J A Durling. Mr J R Trigger was at the organ.
Family mourners attending were: Major D F B Stucley and the Hon Mrs S M W Stucley; Com J H Stucley and Mrs J Stucley; Priscilla Countess Zamoyska; Mr Bernard Stucley; Mrs Gerald Hohler and Viscountess Boyne; Count Zigmunt Zamoyski; Mr Peter Stucley; Mr Gerald Hohler. Mrs E F Northmore was unable to attend and was represented by her husband, Mr J G L Northmore.
Bearers were tenants and employers from the family estates at Hartland, Moreton and Affeton: Messrs J G Cork, T Dymond, T Allin, T Prouse, A Tonkin and R E Keener.
Bideford Corporation walked in procession to the service preceded by Police Inspector R M Rundle and escorted by the Town Crier, Mr W Benson Hutton, and the mace bearers, Messrs R F Beer and W Dennis. Accompanying the Mayor, Cllr J H Sharley, were: Aldermen F E Whiting, W E Ellis, W H Chubb, T A Goaman, R L Cock, W H Copp, Mrs E M Cox, E D Williams, A E Fulford (also representing Mr G C Hayter Hames), G A Ellis, W G Lee, Mr F C Backway (also representing Mr C A Grant, Mr H J Denne, Mr A E TNetting and Miss M E Jenkinson. The Mayoress of Bideford, Mrs J H Sharley, was accompanied by Mrs W H Copp. With Messrs R B Blackmore and N H Chope, representing the Bideford Magistrates was Mr Burton, an honorary freeman.
Lord Fortescue was represented by Brigadier W R Reid. Others present included: Sir Philip and Lady du Cros, Mr L E Brown (representing the Hon George Lambert), Mr F W Beer, Mr M W Richards (also representing Mr G Crowther), Capt G F Stevens-Guille, Mr C R Peel, Mr W E Bartlett (representing Stucley House, Bideford Grammar School), W J Capel, J H Hibberd, A G Cox, P Lucas, J Stephenson, R Perkins, R Crowther, Mr T Anstey (representing Bideford Conservative Club and Mr Anthony Royle), Lieut R O Bridger (representing Bideford Sea Cadet Unit), Messrs W R Keates (representing Mr W Langdon), A Baglow (representing North Devon Farmers Ltd and Mr G Heywood), W J Oxenham (representing the former Bideford Electricity Company), A J Stephens (representing Stephens, Brain and Co), R H Cade, D J Madge, H Bennet (representing Baker and Sons), Lieut-Col and Mrs R D D Birdwood (representing Bideford Horse Show, and Major and Mrs Eric Flint), C Morris, Cyril Cox, G W Sice (representing E W S Bartlett’s), P J V Fulford (representing G Boyle Ltd), Lieut-Com H B Drury (representing T L Hamlyn and Son), Leonard Braund, G E Austen (representing National Provincial Banks and Mr E H Gaud).
Major and Mrs O B Hall Hall, Col and Mrs T Gracey, Mr and Mrs C H Chichester, Mahor and Mrs C H Young, Mr C T Braddick, Mr and Mrs B G Lampard-Vachell, Mr and Mrs P Brooks, Mr and Mr J P Cork, Mr and Mrs G Huxtable, Mr and Mrs S Bate, Mr and Mrs A Stevens, Mr and Mrs L J Stanbury, Mr and Mrs T Colwill, Mr and Mrs F C Balsdon, Mr and Mrs P Boustred, Mr and Mrs R Hooper, Mr and Mrs H E S Baylis, Mr and Mrs H V Cope, Mr and Mrs J H P Williams.
Rear-Admiral H G C Franklin, Capt C G C Sumner, Col D Macpherson, Major G N Atkinson, Major A J Garland, Major L W Bennet, Dr M W Littlewood (also representing Dr T O Candler), Capt the Hon Denys Scott (also representing Mr R Maunsell).
Messres J D G Fortescue, F G Smyth-Richards, G R Smyth-Richards, H W Fulford, O W Ward, John Heywood, G and W Dennis, A B Medland, R R Tucker, W H Rowe, W J Redclift, S C Gilbard, R G Ayre, F J Webber, H Luxton, T Short, A T Pickard, Eli Cox, R W Curtis, W D French, A R Allin, C J Hurman, R Wickham, T P Tucker, A H Vousden, J H Lowther, A G Heywood, W J Oke, W H Perkins, E Beer, G Lloyd-Rees, A Pridham, T Anstey (also representing Mr J A P A Martin), M F Lee, A K Chope (also representing Mr R Harper), A Johns, F Jones, W Ridge, J Higman, J Allen, L Finch, W J Heard, R Dennis, W H Jeffery, J B Langdon, F Sanders, E Stapledon, W J Keenor, R Keenor, C W M Turner, S Fogarty, R A Bissett, G Guthrie, G Littlejohns, S Littlejohns, A J Brooks.
Mesdames E Boileau (also representing Major Boileau and Lady Spencer Smith), F Campbell (also representing Sir John Chichester), C F Portman (representing Mrs Oliver), J A Durling, J Latham, E C Dipstale, J A Turner, J I Baker, Braund (also representing Mrs Juby), Pearce (also representing Mrs Branton), Lewis, A Dymond, G Brown.
Misses G S Champion de Crespigny, Kingsbury, K Foden, M Smith, M E Abbott, M Prouse, Rouse, Brangwin, E M Phillips , V Evans.
Funeral arrangements were by Trapnells Ltd.