September 24, 1998

The first ever Children’s Hospice Awareness Week was launched in style in Launceston last Saturday when 500 balloons were sold at the Launceston Castle during the morning and Paul Tyler, MP for North Cornwall, launched them in the afternoon. He was assisted by many excited children who were asked to rescue him should he take off with the balloons.

This year’s Week of St Mary Revel was quite simply a phenomenal success. A great deal of effort had been put in by all sections of the community to enlarge and enliven the traditional revel which always takes place this time of the year.

September 24, 1983

Superclub winners — the police team of Nick Fielding and Kevin Reed — received their awards from the Mayor Mrs Cynthia Buckingham. With them were Jeremy Rogers and Leo Bryant (squash) and Roger Goodman and Eric Jewell (Lezant tug-of-war), who were joint runners-up.

Junior members of Bude Surf Life-Saving Club made the draw for the 30th anniversary lottery on Tuesday week. Timmy Moyle drew the winning ticket. First prize was an original painting by local maritime artist Don Blizzard.

September 22, 1973

Canon W G Steer conducted a harvest festival at the White Horse inn, Newport, Launceston (By Permission of Mr and Mrs S Field), in aid of the Arthritis and Rhematism Council for Research. Canon Steer said this was the first time in 38 years he had held a service on licensed premises.

Mr Alfred Penhale, 51, dairy farmer, of Trenault House, Piper’s Pool, was rushed to hospital after being gored by a bull. Alexander the bull was hand reared by the Penhales, and is worth hundred of pounds, but we understand he is to be destroyed.

Police Sergeant Reginald Berry’s prize-winning bloom stole the major trophies at Bude’s early chrysanthemum and dahlia show.

Camelford Rural Council has agreed to purchase Bottreaux Castle at Boscastle. The purchase price is £2,500 with the English Tourist Board willing to give a grant of £1,500. “This is a very generous offer by the tourist board” said council chairman Mr M H Hicks.

For the first time ever at Milton Damerell, an amateur clay pigeon shoot was held. It was organised by Mr C C Stidwell, who in 40 years has organised 208 shoots for various charities.

September 28, 1963

Details of the 1961 census of England and Wales, announced this week, revealed the population of Cornwall including the Isles of Scilly was 342,301 — a decrease of 3,141 or 0.9 per cent since the previous census in 1951. The population of Devon was 823,751 - an increase of 26,013.

Bude-Stratton Urban Council is to protest to British Railways over the removal of the through coach service from Bude to Waterloo and to ask that the service be reinstated.

Calstock parish council were told last week that a Drakewalls man living near a refuse tip sprayed his house with DDT and later picked up three pints of flies.

Mr T Fletcher, in a letter to the council, asked if something could be done about the nuisance caused by the tip.

September 26, 1953

A line of cars estimated to be a mile long accompanied the cortage from the house to the little Methodist Church at Tresparrett at the funeral of Mr Thomas Henry Hears, of Moorland House, Camelford.

Prompt action by the Wadebridge Unit of the County Fire Service, under Station Officer F S Henwood, in the early hours on Monday morning, prevented the complete destruction of an eight-roomed dwelling house at New Polzeath.

The badly mutilated body of Mr Reginald Wallace Denley, 39-year-old porter of Station House, Luckett, was found on the railway line near the station of Luckett on Sunday - The Medical Officer’s report for the Borough of Launceston for the year 1952, just published, gives the town a pretty clean bill of health. A most pleasing feature of the statistics is that they show there was no case of maternal mortality during the year (in fact, none has been recorded in the borough in the past five years), and that there was no case of infant mortality.

September 25, 1943

Reported missing: Dvr Mech Leslie Pengilley, 35, of Philman, Hartland; Sgt Henry Hill, RAF, 29, of Glen Road, Wadebridge; Sgt Ronald J Small, RAF, 21, of Chilsworthy, Holsworthy. Wounded in action: George Lewis Vanstone, of Stoke, Hartland. Awarded MBE: Flg Offr F L Rogers, RAF, of Pendennis, Fernley Road, Wadebridge.

For stealing a barrage balloon, a man was fined £20 at Stratton Petty Sessions on Monday. Another was fined a like amount for receiving it. The balloon had broken from its moorings and was known to have come down in a certain parish but it disappeared and police eventually found it being used as a rick cover.

As the result of an application from a householder who had evacuees for three years, Bude-Stratton Urban Council has decided to replace, free of charge, pillow cases and sheets which had worn out and to do this for all householders who had evacuees for not less than two years.

Launceston Town Council has been planning its post-war housing programme and plans to build 30 in the first year. Now a site is required, one suggested at Tredydan Road being considered unsatisfactory.

September 30, 1933

There has been a welcome drop in the price of bread: a 4lb loaf is now available at eight-and a-half pence.

Camelford Football Club did not decide until August that they would continue this season — and so far they have not even played a practice match. Their first match is wit their “deadliest” rivals Tintagel.

Because of the lack of interest the Bude Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Art Society (president, Admiral Stoddart) has decided not to produce an opera during the coming season.

A chess club has been formed at Launceston to meet weekly in the Dunheved Hotel, Westgate Street. The secretary is Mr Jas J Evans, Horwell House, Newport.

September 29, 1923

A letter from Launceston Football Club read to the local Chamber of Trade on Monday, asked for consideration of the changing of the town’s early closing day from Thursday to Wednesday as a temporary measure, adding that it was hoped that the market day would soon be altered and that the town would have the Saturday halfday. The Chamber decided to ascertain the traders feelings on the matter.

Ivor B Truscott, of Delabole, 17-year-old son of ex-PC and Mrs Truscott, former pupil at Camelford Grammar School, is the first student to be awarded the Sir James Smith’s exhibition, which will enable him to study at Bristol University. By selling property bequeathed by Sir James in the 17th century, the governors now have an annuity of £60 available for the purpose.