Lundy

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.

Lundy boats

Photographed alongside each other at Bideford Quay are the 'Lerina' which, it is understood, is being withdrawn from the Lundy to the mainland service after being engaged on it for just over thirty years, and the 'Margaret Rose' (formerly the Clovelly lifeboat 'City of Nottingham') which is now undertaking a regular service between the island and the mainland.

Gazette article dated 17 November 1950

Lundy Peal Replaced By Bidding Bell?

As was briefly reported last week a decision has been made to sell the peal of eight bells of the church on the island of Lundy.

Announcing this in the current issue of his church magazine, the Vicar of Appledore, Rev R C Dixon, who is priest-in-charge of Lundy, writes that on a recent visit there he had further discussed the proposal with the island’s owner, Mr Albion Harman, with Miss Elsie Heaven, a great-niece of the founder of Lundy’s church, and with an informal meeting of islanders and regular visitors.
Describing the bells as a beautiful peal, the Vicar writes “If we can no longer hear them on Lundy we should endeavour to place them where they can once more ring out to the glory of God. The proceeds of the sale of the peal should then be set aside for the maintenance of the church, and for the erection of one or possibly two ‘come to service’ bells”. The Vicar’s notes continue: “The meeting also expressed gratitude to Mr Bill Copp, of Bideford, who has done our repairs during the last ten years, for the solid and conscientious way he has done his work. The thorough way the ‘East end’ has been repaired is obvious – but a good deal of repointing has also been done to the tower. Certainly if he had not come to our rescue so quickly, the state of the church would have been probably beyond repair”.
Sixty-six years ago this summer, in Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee year the Church of St Helen on Lundy was dedicated by the Bishop of Exeter. The island was then owned by the Rev H G Heaven and this lent itself to the quip that Lundy was ‘the kingdom of Heaven’.
The full Gazette article is dated 23 August 1963

Day Trippers’ £300 In Two Years For Lundy Church

Day trippers to Lundy have given nearly £300 towards the maintenance of the island’s tiny church, writes the Vicar of Appledore, the Rev R C Dixon, in the current issue of Appledore Parish magazine.

Mr Dixon also comments “There was a time when I almost despaired of being able to put Lundy Church in good repair. Now I am becoming definitely optimistic”.
The full Gazette article is dated 12 July 1957