During WWII I lived in Breakwater Road and went to school in Bude, which has forever remained my favourite place on earth, drawing me back to many superb holiday. 

As a member of Bude Canal & Harbour Society and their superbly informative newsletter titled The Tug Boat, I recently learned that the storm tower at Efford Down, Bude, is due to be moved back away from the fragile cliff edge. 

I am reminded that towards the end of WWII an acoustic mine flowed back and forth on the tides in the bay, whilst locally stationed American soldiers lines the cliffs firing rifles in an unsuccessful effort to explode it in deep water. 

The mine drifted on the next high tide towards the rocks beneath Compass Point. Police toured the town advising people to open windows and doors to avoid damage from blasts. 

Eventually there was a massive explosion right underneath the storm tower and after the smoke and debris had cleared it was great to see the storm tower still standing. A cheer went up from people that had collected in the area of the Castle. 

The mines were apparently laid by our navy in a prescribed corridor to ambush enemy submarines lying in wait to target Atlantic convoys. 

I did red in recent times that recreational discovered two German submarine wrecks somewhere between Bude and Padstow, showing evidence they had been victims of mines.