Woolacombe & Mortehoe Voice Issue 1

Issue 1 March 2015

Woolacombe & Mortehoe Voice A magazine for all those who love this beautiful coastline

Steve PP

Local artist Steve shares his love of the area and the inspiration for his work

Camping Holidays

Outdoor holidays in the area

Readers Gallery Your photos and memories

Lee Bay

Picturesque walks

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Things to do in the area whilst on Holiday

Mortehoe War Memorial

The People Behind the Names 1

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CONTENTS

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Woolacombe

An introduction to Woolacombe by Sarah Prankerd.

Sarah looks at the development of the area, and how it has become the place we know and love today.

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Steve PP

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The People Behind the Names

Artist Steve PP talks about his work and the coastline that he loves to paint.

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Every issue will look at another of the names engraved on the Mortehoe War Memorial. We look at the family, and lives of those who gave their life in the first World War. In this issue we find out more about the Hill brothers and the sister they left behind.

My Mortehoe, My Woolacombe Dawn Fitzgerald tells us what this beautiful place means to her, and shares a selection of her favourite photographs.

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Alexia Miles

North Devon based photographer Alexia Miles writes about her photography and capturing memories with each picture.

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e m o c l We

Welcome to the first edition of Woolacombe & Mortehoe Voice.

The magazine dedicated to anyone who has a place in their heart for this beautiful stretch of North Devon coastline.

This is our first edition, and we are very excited. The first issue is a sample magazine and we welcome all feedback, and ideas regarding this, and any future issues. The magazine has been created from a love of Woolacombe and Mortehoe. It is amazing how many people you speak to who have fond memories of family holidays, weekends away with friends, time growing up or living here. We hope this magazine encapsulates this.

We want you, the reader, to be an intergral part of this magazine, so please share photographs, stories and memories with us. Each issue will have specific features, which we hope, you will contribute to, and make this well and truly about the people who love this area.

Our first issue looks at the history of Woolacombe, and the part it played in the D-Day landings during World War 2.

We look at ‘The People behind the Names’ on the Mortehoe War memorial, and further afield we visit the sleepy little village of Lee Bay. All of this, along with ideas of what to do in the area. We meet local artist Steve PP who tells us about his love of the area and the inspiration for his artwork, and photographer Alexia Miles who tells us that she likes to capture memories in her photography.We hope all of this will keep you occupied!!

Happy Reading

Lorna Weston (editor)

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Things to do on Holiday Stuck for things to do on holiday in the area?

Look at our handy guide of things to do and places to visit.

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Readers Gallery A wonderful selection of our readers photographs, from our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram sites. Holiday snaps, professional photographs, special memories we would love to see them all!

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Lee Bay We take a walk around the picturesque village of Lee Bay.

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Camping

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Keep in Touch

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Camping can be a great way to spend a holiday with family or a group of friends. We take a look at some of the local campsites, and the essentials for a great camping holiday.

Our magazine relies on our readers contributions, find out how you can keep in touch with us.

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Puzzles

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Woolacombe written by Sarah Prankerd photos by Lorna Weston

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hen you live in an area you often forget the breathtaking scenery and natural beauty that surrounds you.

Living in Devon we have it in abundance, with the added bonus of fantastic beaches close by. With the daily grind it is easy to forget the spectacular landscape around us. The 3 mile stretch of golden sands that is Woolacombe beach was recently voted by Tripadvisor as the second best beach in the UK, and 7th in Europe.

Woolacombe is steeped in history – a typical Edwardian/Victorian coastal resort town dominated by large villa style houses and grand hotels, it was first recorded in the Domesday book as Wolnecoma, literally meaning ‘Wolves Valley’. At the time the valley was thickly wooded and presumably wolves could be found. There were no inhabitants living in Woolacombe at the time of the Domesday survey in 1086 – even the parish of Mortehoe was little more than a single farm.

Woolacombe Tracey, the medieval manor, is shown on the site of Woolacombe Farm on early ordinance survey maps, and medieval rubble has been found near this site supporting the possibility. Woolacombe Tracey was the seat of the Tracey family, Sir William de Tracey was said to have lived here after his involvement in the murder of Thomas a Becket in 1170.

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he 1840’s Tithe map for Mortehoe Parish shows Woolacombe as a small cluster of buildings located around the Beach Road junction with Sandy Lane. Some distance to the east could be found two settlements of similar size, being east Woolacombe and Over Woolacombe. At this time there was no development along the shoreline and Woolacombe was only a modest village or large hamlet – having no church of its own.

The Castle Hotel is the only listed building within the Woolacombe conservation area. Originally built as a private residence and built to resemble a Gothic folly as a castellated mansion, constructed of snecked rubble stone and ashlar dressings. The building is both grand and imposing, being located above The Esplanade and its gothic revival architecture is of high quality and design.

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n the 1880’s a Barnstaple architect, Arnold Thorne, laid out Woolacombe for development as a coastal resort.

Plots of land were set out and leased to individual developers for periods of 99 years by the Chichester Estate.

The development grew at a slow pace, the seafront along the Esplanade being mainly a row of Victorian and Edwardian villas, with a rapid period of building from 1890, when maps show the Esplanade devoid of buildings, to 1905 when the shoreline frontage is mainly as it is today.

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he main landscape features are clearly the beach and the two headlands, Morte Point and Baggy Point, which frame its sands. The beach is visible from the vast majority of points in the village and an increasing number of people get their first look at Woolacombe from the various paths and trails (including the Tarka Trail and the South West Coast path) which runs through Woolacombe from north to south. As such views from Potters Hill out over Woolacombe are important from the south, and the path out to Morte Point at the north.

Several buildings within the conservation area were constructed by the Chichester Estate, Hartland house was used as an estate office for several years and the next door Parade House was built for Dame Rosalie Chichester as a summer residence in 1890.

The Woolacombe Bay Hotel

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ne of the most significant and imposing buildings in the village is the Woolacombe Bay Hotel. The hotel was constructed in 1887 when it applied for its first license, and was initially called the “Shakespeare Hotel”, although this must have been short-lived as the building is labelled as the Woolacombe Bay Hotel on the 1904 Ordinance Survey map. Photographs showing the Hotel under construction show how, at the time, it was surrounded by empty fields for some distance, highlighting just how small Woolacombe was before the late 1800’s and how speculative these developments were.

The hotel has enjoyed a long and colourful history, and much of its traditional charm still remains today. In 1895, Rosalie Chichester of Arlington Court granted tenancy of The Woolacombe Bay Hotel to Arnold Perret, who bought the tenancy in 1899.

Pictured Above: The Woolacombe Bay Hotel.

By 1919 the resort in Woolacombe had all of the services you would expect to find, including two banks, a post office, printers, golf course and 45 houses offering apartments of lodgings.

Like a number of British beaches Woolacombe Beach has always been privately owned, and when Lady Chichester died in 1949 it had been in her family’s possession for over 800 years. On her death the Chichesters’ land in Woolacombe and Morethoe and the family estate at Arlington had been willed to the National Trust and the beach and surrounding land was purchased by Stanley Parkin, a family friend.

The Woolacombe Bay Hotel was sold to Cheltenham Brewery in 1932, and over the following nine years an extensive programme of renovation transformed the building.

John Phillips was a young boy living behind the hotel in the 1930’s. He remembers the waiters in their long tailed morning suits and the chefs in their hats of varying heights according to their status! The Hotel had a Boiler House which housed four huge boilers – one was for central heating, two for the hot water and the other provided steam to the kitchen. Supervised by three men, they were not always attentive and consequently guests often went without hot water and the kitchen steam!

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The gardens of the hotel were completely enclosed and supplied a lot of produce and flowers for the hotel - it was also where the young local boys ended up playing football, much to the annoyance of the gardener, Mr Tom Sollis!

In 1935 Miss Crowhurst was the new manager of the hotel and by 1939 the hotel had been enlarged to accommodate up to 180 residents, reflecting the increased number of tourists wishing to stay in Woolacombe in the heyday of British seaside resorts. It was at this time that war was announced and the British army commandeered the hotel. It became home to the 4th County of London Yeomanry, who were based in Woolacombe to protect from invasion.

World War II “marg on your bread and no more shop bought jam” A local boy, Brian Watts, remembers the day well – Sunday 3rd September 1939 was a beautiful autumnal day.

Meandering back up the path from Barricane beach he encountered his older brother Jack, running down to meet him. “Tis terrible news, we are at war with Germany”. Upon asking what that meant he was given the reply “marg on your bread and no more shop bought jam!”

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hen the London Yeomanry arrived at the hotel John remembers three tanks rumbling past their house in Rosalie Terrace en route to Cowlers garage, which was located just behind the hotel. The sight and sound of these were pretty awesome for an 8 year old boy and the rest of the villagers, who couldn’t understand why they were kept in the garage every night – no one would have been able to steal them considering the infernal noise they made!

With the arrival of the troops barbed wire was stretched from one end of the beach to the other, 9 foot square posts were pile driven into the whole beach to stop aircraft landing, and tank obstacles were placed across the stream area. The beach toilets were converted into a machine gun post, trenches were dug everywhere and a 4.5 naval gun was positioned in the vegetable garden between Parade House on The Esplanade.

The London Yeomanry were not in Woolacombe long as they were sent to take part in a disastrous operation in North Africa where they suffered the loss of many men.

In 1940 the Southern Command Weapon Training School occupied the building and set up a gruelling assault course covering the whole valley.

Pictured Above: WW2 Memorial dedicated to soliders who served in the area

Pictured above: Woolacombe Beach during training exercises.

In addition to the army the Royal Air Force carried out practices of bombing targets anchored out on the Bay. Not a day went by during the war when there were not explosions going off in Woolacombe.

The village, however, was extremely lucky in that on the15th August 1940 it had its first and only bombing by the Germans – fortunately only resulting in the death of one cow (or unfortunately if you were that cow!).

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s Woolacombe was deemed one of the safest places in the country, many evacuees from high risk areas were brought here. The majority of the evacuees came from Croydon in South London. Some complete schools were moved en masse – Bartram Gables School took up residence at the nearby Watersmeet Hotel in Mortehoe, Dagenham Girls School went to Belle View Guest House and Thornton Heath High School resided at the Rockham Bay. In 1943 the British Army left Woolacombe to make way for the American Army where they set up their Assault Training Centre Headquarters.

Woolacombe Beach was used for amphibious infantry landing practice involving hundreds of small boats – the long flat beach and the surrounding landscape were thought to sufficiently resemble Normandy to make this a realistic training environment.

The training for the Normandy landings on D-Day saw Woolacombe taken over by the Americans with huge camps, and those who were in the area at the time will remember how much better off the Americans were, as the British had been short of the good things in life for some time.

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Pictured above: Woolacombe Beach turned into training camps during WW2

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he training for the Normandy landings on D-Day saw Woolacombe taken over by the Americans with huge camps, and those who were in the area at the time will remember how much better off the Americans were, as the British had been short of the good things in life for some time.

The Americans arrived with everything including chewing gum, cigarettes, doughnuts, Brylcream, chocolate and Nylons – making them very popular with the local ladies and children!

The locals had a phrase to describe the Americans - “overpaid, oversexed and over here!” Nevertheless, they become very fond of them and very much appreciated their hard work and dedication towards winning the war. Some Americans and locals are still in touch today and a stone memorial was erected on Greensward in Woolacombe in 1992 to commemorate those who were here during the war. The soldiers remained in residence until the end of the war in May 1945 and the Woolacombe Bay Hotel was bought by Mr Bertie Johnson.

The hotel was bought by the Lancaster family in 1978 and ran successfully

by Roy and Rosemary until the year 2000, when their daughter Sally returned and took over the reins. Over the last 14 years Sally has taken the hotel to a new dimension, combining old world grandeur with new cutting edge design. In 2010 the hotel was awarded four stars by the AA which is reflected by its outstanding bedrooms, bathrooms, spa, food, facilities and of course the most personal service in the area!

"Painting the Outdoors with Passion" with Steve PP

Living on the coast in such a beautiful place can only inspire you.

There is never a day that doesn't make me want to paint something that I see. Even scenes that seem the same to others, change daily , hourly, even to the receptive eye.

I mostly paint outdoors on location in watercolours, painting fast and furiously to interpret the scene, before the light changes in an instant, and in this part of the world , that happens frequently.

When you fall in love with a place , you need to see it in as many ways as possible, you never stop craving just one more sunset, or the changes in season and pace of it's daily life.

This is true for me, and whilst I love going abroad to paint anywhere that has character and outstanding beauty. It is right here on this mercurial strip of coast that my passion gets aroused every day.

You can see my work at Steven Pleydell-Pearce Fine Art www.stevepp.co.uk or call into my art stall next to The Red Barn, Woolacombe during the Spring and Summer months.

StevePP

@PPSteve

www.stevepp.co.uk

The People behind the names Mortehoe War Memorial

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n 28 July 1914, the outbreak of World War 1 changed the lives of communities all over Britain. The ‘Great War’ as it has become known, lasted until 11 November 1918, claiming more than 37 million lives in the process. In North Devon, rural life was turned upside down as recruitment began to pick up pace for Kitchener’s ‘New Armies’ to supply troops for the front. A controversial article was published in the press in 1916 stating that Devon farmers were not coming forward in great enough numbers for war service, and unfairly labeled them as unpatriotic.

As a result in Barnstaple, protests were arranged against mass recruitment as it was considered to be damaging to the rural economy.

In order to combat these low recruitment levels people like Lord Fortescue tried to encourage involvement, by giving speeches to the local farming community. The agricultural workers believed that producing food and feeding a nation at war was a duty and not a lack of patriotism. Farming communities were indeed essential during the war years, and this was finally recognised in 1915 with the establishment of the War Agricultural Committee.

North Devon brothers William John and Thomas Henry Hill were two such young volunteers who would sadly become victims of the war.

Both are now commemorated on the Mortehoe war memorial, which stands in the grounds of St Mary Magdalene Church, Mortehoe.

Pictured above: Mortehoe War Memorial

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he octagonal memorial listed by English Heritage in 2011 records the names of 26 men who fell during WW1 and WW2. It also displays a sole casualty from the more recent Korean War. The memorial is a cross of Cornish granite, standing 16ft 3in high on a base of three six sided steps, surrounded by a square block containing on its four sides the names of the fallen, and the inscription: “In loving rembarance of our gallant men who fell in the Great War 1914-1918.

Their lives for their country, their souls to their God”. It was supplied by Bodmin Granite Co, at a cost of £145 10s 2d. Designed by W. D Carve Esq, architect. The concrete foundation was made by Messrs Watts and Hill (Mortehoe) who also fixed the memorial in position under the superintendence of Mr J. B. Clarke of Barnstple.

A series of articles ‘The people behind the names’ will run in each issue of the magazine, we hope to find out a little more about the people whose names are engraved on the memorial. The website will also be running an ongoing feature on “Woolacombe at War’. Please visit our website for further information or to find out how you can contribute. www.woolacombemortehoevoice.wordpress.com 10

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The brothers time at War with the regiment

by Peter Turner

illiam John and Thomas Henry Hill lived in Mortehoe with their family.

William Henry Hill, their father, was born in 1866 in Marwood, Devon and their mother Mary Hill (nee Bennett) was the daughter of William and Mary Bennett of Mortehoe.

William Henry Hill and Mary Bennett would marry in 1891 in St Mary Magdalene Church, Mortehoe and would start their martial life living in the village at Dukes House, a small two up, two down house, sharing their home with a lodger, William Bryant, a 36 year old miner. On their marriage certificate William was working as a stonemason and Mary as a charwoman. In 1892 they had their first son, William John Hill, three years later in 1895 they had another son Thomas Henry Hill and the following year a daughter Rose Gertrude Hill.

The family were an integral part of the village. William Henry was a bell ringer at the Parish Church, something he would do for over forty years, chiming the bells at many village weddings and special services. Ringing out the old year and welcoming the new one in.

Seven of the Mortehoe Bell ringers claimed to have established a record in regard to the length of their service, having rung the Mortehoe Parish Church bells for an average of 40 years per ringer.

Seven Mortehoe bellringers claim to have established a record in regard to length of service. They have rung the bells of Morte-Hoe Parish Church for periods ranging from 30 – 50 years, and the total number of years’ service in this capacity is 280 – an average of 40 years a ringer. Two of them, Messrs. S. Yeo and W. Watts, have never failed to ring out the Old Year and ring in the New during their 50 years of service, and the records of their colleagues are: Mr W Smith 45 years, Messrs. W. Hill and Sidney Yeo 40 years, amd Messrs F. Copp and W. Moule 30 years.

Thomas and William both served with the 1/6th Devon regiment and would have enlisted at Barnstaple just after August 1914.

Pictured Above; St Mary Magdalene Church, Mortehoe

Peter Turner from the Keep Museum has written the following article on the regiment.

The full article can be read at:

Mary was a member of the Mortehoe www.woolacombemortehoevoice.wordpress.com friend’s society a group dedicated to raising money for good causes t the outbreak of war, the and arranging local events for the battalion was engaged, with community. Mary was invaluable in the other territorial units, arranging a number of charitable events on its Summer Training Camp at in Mortehoe, and putting together plans Woodbury Common, near Exmouth. for village gatherings.

Upon mobilization, instead of Pictured Opposite: The heading for Barnstaple, the battalion Simple Life Society. Mary marched 10 miles to Exeter and Hill (2nd left back row) and then entrained to Plymouth and 5 Rose Moule nee Hill (4th days later found itself under canvas left back row) on Salisbury Plain, getting fit and training for war.

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Pictured Above: The Mortehoe Bell Ringers.

Pictured Opposite: William Hill & Mary Hill (nee Bennett)

By the time the 1901 census was taken the family are living at 2 Thorn Cottage, next door to William Henry’s In-laws, Mary’s parents, the Bennett’s.

Ten years later when the next census is taken the Hill and Bennett family are living between the two properties.

William John aged 15 is working with his father as a mason’s labourer, Thomas Henry is living with his grandparents next door working as a farm labourer and their only daughter Rose is employed as a domestic help.

Little did they know what the coming years would have in store for this close knit family.

As World War One broke out, both William and Thomas would make the 14 mile journey into Barnstaple to sign up for war service, leaving their family home in the small village they had grown up in to travel many miles to fight for their country.

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O n 15th September the battalion almost unanimously volunteered for service overseas and on 9th October 30 officers and 803 N.C.O.s embarked at Southampton for Karachi, from where it entrained to Lahore. During the rest of 1914 and 1915 the battalion was primarily responsible for internal security, thus relieving those regular units of the Indian Army that had been deployed elsewhere.

In December 1915 orders were received to deploy to Mesopotamia and by the end of the month the battalion had embarked and arrived in Basra on 3rd. January 1916.

After a 230 mile march, northwards along the banks of the Tigris, still dressed in “Indian” drill, the troops reached Orah, where for the first time the men encountered both the enemy and sickness – mostly dysentery and pneumonia.

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arly in March 1916 a major assault, involving nearly 20,000 troops, was planned on the Turkish defences at Dujailah Redoubt, which barred the way to the south bank of the Tigris opposite the town of Kut, where some 10,000 British troops had been besieged by the Turks.

On 7th March, 36 officers and 814 other ranks of the 6th Battalion, each equipped with 2 days’ rations and 160 rounds of ammunition, began the march to the assembly area. At daybreak on the 8th the lead column had reached its allotted position; the Turks were completely surprised and the objective, the Dujailah Redoubt was unoccupied. The orders given were so detailed that the lead commander was deterred from acting on his own initiative and thus waited for the arrival of the support column. The attack was therefore delayed for some 3 hours, giving the enemy ample opportunity to bring up reinforcements. All surprise had been forfeited and the attack spectacularly failed.

In the early hours of 9th March, under heavy fire, all units involved began a general retreat, but not before recovering their wounded and hastily burying their dead. With the Turkish cavalry and artillery in close pursuit, the retreat continued almost 20 miles back to the Wadi Camp at Orah.

The men had been in action for some 21 hours and were totally exhausted and had suffered from lack of water.

Of the 24 officers and 550 other ranks from the 6th Battalion, that had engaged in the attack, 8 officers and 44 other ranks had been killed or were missing; 8 officers and 141 men wounded. One of the surviving officers reported however, that the Brigadier had commented that the 6th. had only one fault, “They were too brave.” And General Gorringe, who had taken command of the Tigris Force, later visited and congratulated the battalion on its conduct and bravery.

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mongst those missing on that day was Acting Lance Corporal Thomas Henry Hill. The official record reads.

“Death regarded 8/3 to 8/9/16.”

However in a brief history of the battalion, written by a one-time Colonel of the 6th Battalion, it is recorded that he was wounded and reported missing on 8th March but subsequently reported as a Prisoner of War in Baghdad in August 1916.

It must therefore be assumed that he died sometime thereafter in what must have been appalling prison conditions. News of his death would be reported in the North Devon Journal on the 4th March 1920

Mr and Mrs Hill have received official notification that the Army Council has been regretfully constrained to conclude that their son, Pte Thomas Henry Hill 1/6th Devons who was reported misssing and a prisoner of war since March 8th 1916, has not survived and presume his death to have taken place between that date and 8th September 1916, no further news having been received of him. The Army Council express the Kings regret that their own at the loss of a gallant soldier and for his parents sad bereavement.

Mr & Mrs Hill have lost both their sons in the countrys service, an elder brother having died in Basra in November 1917.

They have the sympathy of the whole parishioners in their irreparable loss.

North Devon Journal 4th March 1920

In Memory of William John & Thomas Henry Hill.

(pictured opposite)

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In May the battalion advanced and took possession of the defences around the Dujailah Redoubt, which the Turks had by then evacuated. The climate became oppressive and typhus.

Dysentery, sand-fly fever, jaundice and heat stroke all took their toll on the strength of the battalion; but, it is reported, not on the spirit of the men.

For the rest of the summer there was little serious fighting but the heat and deprivation of rations and water, added to the sickness levels. The battalion moved, first to Sheih Saad and then to Amara in October, when battalion strength was down to 9 officers and 276 other ranks. In February 1917 the battalion moved up to Twin Canals to take over Line of Communication duties and then down to Shaiba, just south west of Basra, where it remained for many months in the searing heat of summer.

The rest of 1917 and most of 1918 was spent in monotonous routine in various locations and in September the battalion returned to Margil Camp, Basra where the widespread influenza epidemic, claimed the lives of 1 officer and 88 other ranks.

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n common with every unit deployed in Mesopotamia, the 6th both witnessed the horrors of war in an unimaginably oppressive climate and fell victim to the resulting diseases. One of those who so suffered was Private William John Hill, who reportedly died of smallpox on 24th November 1917.

What happened to Rose Gertrude Hill?

Rose Gertrude Hill was born on Wednesday 23rd September 1896 in Mortehoe, she would have been 18 years old in 1914 when her brothers, William John and Thomas Henry left for war, leaving her as the only remaining child of William and Mary Hill. Rose would remain living in Mortehoe, working as a domestic help, and would have been there as her family received news that William and Thomas had died.

In April 1916, the family received further sad news, the death of Rose’s grandfather, Mary’s father, William Bennett, who was a greatly respected person in the village.

Pictured Opposite: Newspaper Article ation eg gr co e rg la There was a from 1917 Devon h rc hu C h ris Pa present at the Journal. to k ee w in last on Wednesday e Pt of ge ria ar witness the m Pictured Opposite: gest le A.S.C youn William Mou (top) Frederick le and ou M J rs M son of Mr &

John Moule. er ht ug da y nl ill o Miss Rose H

(Middle) Thomas he . T ill W. H. H of Mr & Mrs Henry Moule the ed m or rf pe n Rev T.F Daffa (Bottom) Rose to d le as w bride service. The who also Gertrude Moule er th fa r he the alter by . gave her away subsequently aids m es id br ed as She was attend iss Beatrice M s by her cousin The Lilly Robins.

Huxtable and d rie ar maids c bride & brides ts, the gifts uque bo g in m ar ch r G Overy of of a friend. M ty ied out the du rr ca Barnstaple air p py ap h he ”. T of “best man y ipents of man were the rece nts. The se re l p fu se valuable & u ed cently return bridegroom re r a short te af a, ic fr A from East e Moule will honeymoon Pt it. un s rejoin hi

Following the war, William returned home to his wife Rose, and both would have been present in 1920 at the unveiling of the memorial in St Mary Magdalene Church grounds, the base of which was laid by William Henry Hill, the brothers father.

In 1923 Rose and William would have their first child, a son named Frederick John, a second son would arrive in 1927, Thomas Henry. The family remained in Mortehoe, living in Culver Cottage. William worked as a fishmonger, and in the 1930’s had a store in Barton Lane, Woolacombe.

William continued the family tradition of bell ringing at the Parish Church; he would also spend much of his time showing caged birds, specifically canaries, helping to set up the Braunton and District Cage-Bird Society in 1945. William would attend many agricultural shows, picking up many 1st and 2nd prizes, he would even travel as far as Crystal Palace in 1948 where he won first prize in the Norwich Canary Section.

The de ath has of 77 y ta ears, o ken place at fa person th of Mr n old residen e age W deceas t ed has illiam Benn in the ett be a long time. F en in failing . The or h he had been a almost thirty ealth for n estee servan y m t in the ed and ears e Longs taff at mploy of Dr faithful Twitch G.B. a pens en a ion widow 5 years ago nd retired o n . a and gr nd a large fa He leaves a an m and gr dchildren. H ily of childre ea e was w n by the tly respected e large a , as wa ll known ttendan s which ce at th evidenced to e in very ok place on Monda funeral, stormy y after weathe noon r.

Pictured Above: Newspaper Article from Thursday 20th April 1916 North Devon Journal

Happier times came in 1917 when Rose married William Moule, known to his friends as “Spurry”.

The wedding took place at St Mary Magdalene Church on Wednesday 29th August 1917. William was serving in East Africa, and would have been on leave at the time of the wedding, following a short honeymoon he returned to active service, leaving his new bride in the village.

William died in 1951, leaving Rose, his widow heartbroken, her grandchildren recall her visiting her late husbands grave at the cemetery in Mortehoe most days, she would often call in to see them on her way home to Culver Park Lodge. Her grandchildren have fond memories of her being a kind lady.

Rose died in 1966.

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Unveiling of Mortehoe War Memorial 13th May 1920 Erected in a prominent position in the Parish Churchyard, the memorial to the fallen from the parish, subscribed for by the parishioners and friends, was unveiled and dedicated on Sunday afternoon in ideal weather. There was a large assemblage present to witness and take part in the touching ceremony.

The children from various day and Sunday schools, accompanied by their teachers and carrying posies of flowers, formed an interesting group flanking the memorial. Ex-service men assembled at Woolacombe, and, under the leadership of Col. Longstaff D.S.O, in uniform marched to the village and formed up in lines in the roadway alongside the churchyard.

Upwards of fifty attended, including a maimed hero drawn in a bathchair by his comrades. Two of the comrades laid a wreath at the steps inscribed “In memory of our fallen comrades”. Relatives and others friends also deposited wreaths etc, and the children filed past and offered their floral tokens in grateful memory of all those who had lain down their lives for them. The Vicar dedicated the memorial for the Glory of God, and in memory of William Ashford, Herbert Bale, James Bale, Alfred J Butler, Percy Coles, Percy Cousins, William Cousins, Kenneth V Dodgson, E. E Faull, William H Gammon, James H Harris, Elusses M Harris, Thomas H Hill, William J Hill, F A Horsfall, Harry H Karslake, Thomas H Nicholls, Herbert Perryman, Thomas H Purseym, Richard F Pursey, Thomas Randall, Sidney J Scott, Reginald Smith, Alfred H Toms and Robert H Trebble.

After the hymm “The King of Love” eloquent addresses were given by Revs. H Babb and S.C Challenger.

Ex-Driver Chugg late Devon R.G.A (Illfracombe) then sounded the “Last Post” which greatly affected many.

Muffled peals on the bells were also rung. Ex Service men and boy scots then filed past and gave their salute thus ending a memorable function.

My Mortehoe, My Woolacombe

By Dawn Fitzgerald

Dawn Fitzgerald tells why Mortehoe means so much to her, in the ‘My Mortehoe, My Woolacombe’ feature.

Mortehoe is special to me because I grew up here with the point and beaches as my playground. We had hours of fun playing out at Morte Point as kids and as we grew up, spent many hours down on the beaches; Grunta, Rockham and especially Morty Wells.

Morte Point, in all it’s glory. (Summer 1982)

Sunrise over Woolacombe

Fishing boat collecting lobster pots near Rockham

Sunset over Woolacombe

Chapel Hill and Ada’s Cottages on right nestled into the hill. “I love this photo as you can see the back of roof of our house”

The road to the cemetery, a lovely peaceful place to rest.

Mortehoe in winter was the best place to grow up, especially as there were no visitors, only the locals. With winter gales blowing, sitting around the fire listening to Gran and Gramps telling stories of smugglers and shipwrecks. The shipwrecks were real and stories of smugglers made up, its only when you grow up and leave the area you come to realize how special a place it was and that is why we come back every summer to see relations, friends and see what has changed. Many of the people I knew growing up have either moved on or passed on and now sleep in the cemetery. I hope one day to come home and spend my final days here, as it will always be home to me.

If you would like to write about why Woolacombe or Mortehoe means so much to you, please send us a few paragraphs and no more than 10 photographs to woolacombemortehoevoice@gmail.com 14

Alexia Miles

“Photography is like a diary and each capture is like taking a memory�

My name is Alexia and I live in North Devon. I love photography, I get out in all weathers to take a photograph, I take my camera with me everywhere I go. I look down the lens and take a photograph that I think I would like on my wall to remind me of a summer holiday whether it being with children or a loved one. I feel I live in the most wonderful part of England, the North Devon coastline is rugged and has so much passion, the winter waves or the ocean crashing against the rocks, it shows you how wild it can be and we can be very close to nature a lot here.

My photography is all freelance as I also work in a special needs school as a teaching assistant which I get so much pleasure in, working with children is what I always wanted to do and now I can make a childs day which in turn makes mine.

I have done photography for three book covers, one was for a local Author and actress Elizabeth Revill, along with a local model Crystal Featherstone who is featured on the front cover.

www.milesphotography.jimdo.com

Miles Photography 15

@AlexiaMiles

Things Enjoy a Devon Cream Tea. You can’t come to Devon without indulging in a real Devon cream tea. There is much controversy regarding the right way to serve a ‘Devon Cream Tea’. For more information on its history and for your own downloadable receipe , please look at our website: www.woolacombemortehoevoice.wordpress.com

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Go into Barnstaple to do some shopping, or visit the Pannier Market.

Barnstaple is the oldest borough in the country and is the commercial centre of North Devon. Today it is a bustling town full of shops, cafes and restaurants, not forgetting the Pannier Market which is open 6 days a week, offering a huge range of products from fresh produce, arts & crafts to antiques and collectables. Whilst in Barnstaple keep a look out for ‘Star the Duck’ a local legend, pictured opposite.

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Go Rockpooling. Why not go Rockpooling, great for kids of all ages. Lee Bay is a great spot for Rockpooling, the nature of the beach means small pools form in the rocks where you can find all sorts of things. Often spotted are Gem Anemones, Shore & Porcelain Crabs, Gobie, Blennies and Prawns. www.coastwise.northdevon.org.uk is a great resource for those who fancy going to the area to look at the coastline or do some rockpooling. Don’t forget we would love to see photos of your finds in our Readers Gallery

Scavenger Hunt. A scavenger hunt is a fun activity for the family, where individuals or teams attempt to gather all the items on a list, the one with the most items is declared the winner. We have a list for children to follow on our website www.woolacombemortehoevoice.wordpress.com

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Try Surfing. Woolacombe, Putsborough, Croyde & Saunton are known for being good surf beaches. Ideal for beginners, you can go to ‘Surf School’ and learn the basics very easily whilst hiring everything you need. The better waves occur during the winter months when ground swells ride in from the Atlantic. Check out local surfing website, webcams and reports for the latest information.

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s to do on holiday 6

Lynton & Lynmouth. North Devon’s twin towns, nicknamed Englands Little Switzerland. Located on the coastline Lynmouth is joined to Lynton by cliff railway. The towns have a diverse selection of shops and a market in the summer season. We will be featuring Lynton & Lynmouth in the next issues ‘Spotlight’ feature.

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Visit the Mortehoe Museum. The Mortehoe museum is located in the Mortehoe Village and it’s the perfect place to find out more about the history of the area and the people who made it the place it is today. To see the opening times and find out more about the exhibits please take a look at their website: www.mortehoemuseum.org.uk Lazy day on the beach. Woolacombe beach holds the England for Excellence Gold Award. The 3 miles of golden sands are a beautiful place to relax and enjoy a day by the sea, lying on the sands reading, or playing a beach game, there is plenty to do on this stretch of family friendly coastline.

Quince Honey Farm. Visit Quince Honey Farm, an all weather attraction with something for everyone. The main attraction is Beeworld, and you may even get the chance to see a bee beard! Quince farm has its own shop & cafe. For more information take a look at their website: www.quincehoneyfarm.co.uk

Tarka Trail Named after Henry Williamson’s ‘Tarka the Otter’ novel, the Tarka trail is a perfect route for a family cycling adventure. The trail follows the route of a disused railway line between Braunton and Meeth.

The 21 mile route is a perfect way to explore the area.

If you have cycled the trail we would love to see your photos.

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Reader

The

If you have ever taken a snap shot of Woolac If you are a budding photographer, holiday snapper, or have photographs over th photographs can either be sent to woolacombemortehoevoice@gma

@shuttlemad, Twitter Lilly the Camper Van enjoying the sunshine at Woolacombe Sands

Dawn Fitzgerald, Facebook Coastguards, Woolacombe

Rory Oliver, Facebook Woolacombe Beach

@trufflemcshoe1, Twitter

Carole Greenall, Facebook North Morte Farm

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rs Gallery

combe or Mortehoe we would love to see it. he years you have lived here, we would love to share them in our Readers Gallery, ail.com or uploaded via our Instagram, Twitter or Facebook pages.

Steve Parker, Facebook

Paddy Rice-Moule, Facebook Pat Bennett outside his tea hut

Richard Peacock, Facebook Enjoying a drink, Barricane Beach

@bathdrummer, Twtter SS Collier, Remains of Anchor.

@GusCoops, Twitter The Coopers always feel at home in Woolacombe.

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Anekka Gast Philllips, Facebook Wedding Day, Woolacombe

@redeye_mcfly @laylamolly Camper van on holiday, Woolacombe Sands

Toni Hutchings, Facebook Church in Snow, Mortehoe. 1979

Katrina Sutton, Facebook View from Mortehoe towards Woolacombe

Alan Thornton, Facebook Perfect View

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Mark Johnson, Facebook Poppy looking over Woolacombe Bay

Paul Perry, Woolacombe Woolpack Inn

missie_louise, twitter Barricane Beach

Liam Blackie, Facebook Woolacombe Beach

Col Hughes, Facebook Woolacombe Beach

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Village Walk in

Lee Bay

Lee Bay is a picturesque village that can be found nestled between Woolacombe and Illfracombe.

Follow the narrow winding lane off the B3343 which will take you to this coastal village. This small village is best known as Fuchsia Valley, as its pretty stonework walls can be seen covered in beautiful plants and Fuchisa bushes throughout the year.

4. Continue along the path, looking out for animals in the fields either side of the pathway.

5. After passing Chapel Cottage, carry on down the footpath which leds to the sea front and the old Lee Bay Hotel.

6. Returning towards the village, take the path along the back of the Old Lee Bay Hotel and The Old Mill.

Lee Bay Parish Church and Village Hall (above)

1. Start from the Car Park opposite Lee Bay Parish Church & Village Hall - it is well worth vising in the summer months when the shop is open and you can buy some local crafted gifts and plants.

Lee Bay used to receive coal and limestone from Wales, where local kilns burnt it to produce limekiln.

Lee, like most of this coastline saw its fair share of smuggling, it is thought that the trade with Wales may have encouraged this, as ships would wait in the Bristol Channel and were an easy target for smaller vessels to leave the local coves.

2. Take the path towards the Old Post Office (pictured above). Take the left fork down the small pathway towards The Grampus Inn. You will pass some lovely houses and gardens (Look out for the gate with the cat and mouse posts!).

3. Cross the small footbridge over the stream, look out for some of the stunning plants and fuchsias which line this pathway.

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7. Keep on this road, taking in the lovely views of the meadows and The Manor House.

This is a lovely short walk to take in Lee Village, if you are doing this walk with children, take a look at our website for a fun check list of things to look out for. woolacombemortehoevoice@wordpress.com

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Camping

A selection of the beautiful campsites along this coastline.

Barn Park www.barnparkcamping.webs.com 01271 870421 / 07909547907 Barn Park is a small, quiet, family campsite on a working dairy farm (approximately 15 pitches). The village of Woolacombe with its’ award winning beach, is only a 5 minute drive away (1.5miles).

The Site offers clean, basic facilities, a toilet block and a shower room. There is also a drinking water tap, and ‘al fresco’ washing up sink!

Barn Park is in a peaceful location, with stunning panoramic rural views over the North Devon countryside towards Dartmoor. We welcome families and couples,well behaved dogs (with responsible owners) are welcome too!

We do not cater for groups or single sex parties.

Damage Barton www.damafebarton.co.uk 01271 870 502 Damage Barton Caravan and Camping Site offers peaceful, spacious pitches with panoramic seaviews, immaculate facilities, including 2 heated shower blocks, washing up areas, disabled/family bathrooms, shop open daily.

Run by the Lethbridge Family since 1962 it is set on their 600 acre working farm situated on the North Devon coast in an AONB. An extensive network of footpaths lead directly from the site for visitors to enjoy the SW coastal path, abundant birdlife, magnificent wildflowers, and is just 2 miles from Woolacombe’s beautiful beach for surfing and watersports.

A great base to explore North Devon and Exmoor.

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Little Roadway Farm www.littleroadway.co.uk 01271 870 313.

Little Roadway Farm Campsite in Woolacombe is a long established family-run, familyfriendly campsite nestled on the edge of the beautiful North Devon coast, within 15 acres of picturesque countryside.

We have been providing quality camping holidays in Woolacombe for over 20 years and take pride in the personalised quality of service we provide to all our guests.

We as a family are keen and experienced campers and we understand how important it is to stay at a quiet, friendly, reliable campsite with good facilities and caring staff that look after your every requirement.

We endeavour to make sure every guest at our campsite has an enjoyable and memorable stay and returns home feeling relaxed and refreshed We also hire out bell tents of various sizes, and have a private field for rally’s, weddings, birthdays.

North Morte Farm www.northmortefarm.co.uk 01271 870 381 North Morte Farm is a Family run caravan and camping park, adjoining National Trust land, is only 500 yards from Rockham Beach and is set in some of the most spectacular countryside in the south-west. We have direct access to the southwest coast path and are only 5 minutes walk from the village of Mortehoe with pubs, shops, Post Office and restaurants.

North Morte provides all the facilities that you need for your holiday. The park has a modern toilet block, with a disabled shower, privacy cubicles, hairdryers, baby changing facilities and dishwashing, plus a laundry room. Children will love the play areas and there is a well-stocked shop.

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Warcombe Farm www.warcombefarm.co.uk 01271 870 690 Warcombe Farm is a five pennant family run touring holiday park. Beautiful sea views, easy access to excellent walking and cycle paths including the coastal path, outstanding facilities, children’s play area and a well stocked private fishing lake.

We also have a well stocked shop with fresh bread and pastries and a large selection of homemade cakes and cream teas.

Woolacombe Bay Holiday Parks www.woolacombe.com 01271 870 343 Golden Coast, Woolacombe Bay, Twitchen House and Easewell Farm all combine scenic beauty with outstanding facilities and each has its own unique style and personality. Whatever the chosen Park, guests are free to take advantage of the facilities, activities and entertainment on all four. All Holiday Parks offer a superb selection of all-weather sea view camping and touring pitches with immaculate on-site facilities, entertainment day and night plus a wide range of fun filled activities for the whole family.

Pitches are spacious allowing plenty of room for tents or caravans, awnings, picnic furniture and vehicle. Super Pitches have TV aerial, water, drainage, electricity and night light. Shower rooms have under floor heating, individual cubicles, hairdryers, sauna, steam room, launderette, washing up and chemical disposal facilities.

There is a Sports Complex featuring a Surfing Simulator, High Ropes Course, Climbing Wall and more. With over 40 FREE activities and pitches starting from only ÂŁ6 per pitch per night Woolacombe Bay Holiday Parks is the perfect place to stay!

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Woolacombe Sands www.woolacombe-sands.co.uk 01271 870 569 We pride ourselves on being a third generation family run park, providing wonderful holidays for our guests who return year after year. We offer a great choice of accommodation to suit all budgets and requirements.

With heated swimming pools, crazy golf, children’s play park, arcade and bowling, licensed clubhouse and food bar with great nightly children’s and adults entertainments and much more, we are the perfect choice for a wonderful, fun filled, relaxing holiday in North Devon.

Camping Essentials Camping Holidays Camping holidays can be great fun, they can also be a very reasonable priced holiday. However camping does not need to be basic and uncomfortable. Camping equipment has come a long way over the years, and many sites have electric hook ups and fantastic shower and bathroom facilities leaving the old image of camping a distant memory.

If you are camping for the first time, or going away with young children it is easy to forget some of the basics. If you haven’t taken your children on a camping holiday before it is worth doing your homework before going away. Take a look at our website blogs for more handy camping tips and downloadable lists and guides.

Woolacombe & Mortehoe is a beautiful place to set up camp with stunning views and local activities, there really is something for everyone. Woolacombe offers plenty of shops, cafes and pubs as well as 3 miles of beautiful coastline.

If you are camping with children, getting back to basics and enjoying the great outdoors can be both fun and educational.

Camping can be a great adventure, children can appreciate the birds, animals, trees and wildlife that may go unnoticed on a normal holiday. The key to a sucessful camping trip with kids is planning and this is something that can be done with your children to gain their excitment and build anticipation. We have some great ideas on our website.

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Events

Contributions

If you have any event that you would like to publicise, please get in touch. Each magazine will feature a list of events for the next 3 months.

Do you love Woolacombe & Mortehoe? Do you have a story or memory you would like to share about the area?

Please send details to woolacombemortehoevoice@gmail.com

If you would like to write for our magazine, or a blog for our website we really would love to hear from you.

Woolly & Molly

We are happy to consider any ideas as long as its relating to Woolacombe or Mortehoe, it can be past or present or future.

Molly & Woolly are the best of friends, they never go anywhere without each other.

For years and years they lived in a dark cupboard, until one day a lovely girl rescued them.

From that day Molly & Woolly have been on many adventures, seen lots of places around the world, but their favourite is Woolacombe & Mortehoe. We will be following their journey, reading their stories and seeing some of their photos in each addition of this magazine.

Here are some of the articles we will be featuring in future editions that you may wish to contribute to, however this is only a sample list, and we are happy if you would like to add to it with your own ideas: • • • • • • • • • • • •

You can also follow them on Twitter: @WoollyMollymice

FInd us online

Shipwrecks in the area Holidays with Children Weddings in Woolacombe & Mortehoe Local History Woolacombe at War Dog friendly holidays in the area Walks along the coastline The Chichester family The development of Woolacombe & Mortehoe Best places to go on a rainy day Woolacombe & Mortehoe Railway station Memories of growing up in Woolacombe & Mortehoe

Get in Touch

We are also online at www.woolacombemortehoevoice.wordpress.com

We always love to hear from you, if you want to get in touch, you can in all of the following ways:

The website is constantly evolving with blogs and features being added to regularly so keep going back and read the latest articles.

Follow us on twitter @WoolacombeVoice The twitter site is dedicated to anything related to Woolacombe & Mortehoe. Sharing photos, events, news, anything goes as long as its related to the area! Give us a follow.

Please get in touch if you would like to contribute to the site in anyway, we would love to hear from you.

Follow us on Facebook Woolacombe Mortehoe Voice We share a number of old and new photos of Woolacombe & Mortehoe on our Facebook site, most of these are from our extensive local postcard collection. We would love to share photos you post of the area.

Our sister site ‘Woolacombe at War’ will also be online in the Summer. If you have any research, photographs regarding World War One or Two, please get in touch.

Follow us on Instagram WoolacombeMortehoeVoice If you have a photo of Woolacombe or Mortehoe you would like to share with us, please use #woolacombemortehoevoice all photos on instagram automatically get displayed on our website gallery.

www.woolacombemortehoevoice.wordpress.com If you would like to write a blog for our website please get in touch, we would love to consider any article or blog about the area.

woolacombemortehoevoice@gmail.com Any ideas, requests or feedback on any of our features please drop us an email.

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Spot the 6 differences

Wordsearch

Match the Shapes

Find the following 10 ice cream words banana split cone sprinkes wafer choclate

ice cream oyster sundae vanilla cold

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NEXT ISSUE Out 1st June 2015

The different types of VW camper vans and great camping tips for your holiday away by the seaside

Take a walk around the twin towns of Lynton & Lynmouth

Dog friendly holidays in Woolacombe & Mortehoe, things to do, places to go that are Dog friendly for you and your four legged friend.

We continue to look at the Mortehoe War Memorial, and the lives WW1 touched this small village Read all about one of our readers romantic wedding day in the area.

................plus many more articles 30