SINCE the summer of 1971, Harvey Kendall from Bude climbed Shalder Hill, whatever the weather, to record the weather readings at Bude’s Meteorological Station.

Mr Kendall, who moved to Bude from Holsworthy in 1963 with his wife Gill, has been Bude’s dedicated Meteorological Officer since August 1971.

Often having to face all kinds of weather, from the gloom of the temperamental rain, to the joy of the Cornish sunshine, Mr Kendall would take a trip up to Shalder Hill every morning before work to record the weather readings that day.

The job was ‘brief’, according to Mr Kendall, not taking up a lot of time in his day. He would have to record the data onto the meteorological forms and at the end of every month, Mr Kendall would send these readings to the Met Office, which would then generate a report.

As well as providing weather readings, Mr Kendall was also responsible for keeping Bude’s Met Station in good condition, following strict rules from the Met Office.

Bude’s Meteorological Station is one of 600 in Britain, being the third oldest since its creation in 1896. Mr Kendall explained how when the Castle was being built during the 19th Century, the sand and mud gathered from the process developed Shalder Hill, where the Met Station stands today, illustrating its importance to Bude’s heritage.

However, in 2014, the Met Office made a decision to make all stations automatic. Technicians were called in to install electronic devices, and unfortunately for Mr Kendall, his time as Meteorological Officer would soon be over.

Mr Kendall explained that the main reason for making stations automatic was because of the risk of people taking inaccurate results, and also because it was a ‘rare breed’ of employment; commitment was essential to the role of being a Meteorological Officer, with the often harsh weather conditions and the responsibility of being reliable on an every-day basis.

He said: “In the 45 years of doing the weather readings, I was often at the Parkhouse Centre in town. It was the town clerk who informed me that my services may not be needed anymore. I thought it was a pity, as it had been a job in Bude for around 100 years.

“I later received a letter from the town council, giving thanks for my commitment as meteorological officer, they were extinguishing my post, and my last paycheck was back in the summer, and that was that.”

The manual ways of completing the job had run its course, with technology taking over for good.

Bude has not been affected by the recently installed automatic system, according to Mr Kendall, as the data is still being recorded, just in a different way.

Upon being asked if he was disappointed in the decision to make the station automatic, he replied saying: “I wasn’t particularly sad about it. I suddenly had the freedom to have a holiday, lie in too late, and all those other things I couldn’t afford to do whilst being a met officer.

“It was different, but not what I would call ‘sad’.”

The automatic reports now get sent to Edinburgh, and then to the new Met Station in Exeter.

The station was once in Berkshire, but because it was too small, a vote was taken to move the premises to Exeter, where more than 1,000 staff are now employed.

On his 40th year, Mr and Mrs Kendall were invited to Exeter’s Met Station, where they were given a special tour and lunch. Mr Kendall described the station as being ‘vast’, and the high-quality computers impressed him greatly.

Mr Kendall is no longer involved in the weather since finishing his post as Meteorological Officer for Bude; he is a keen gardener and is fascinated by birds, which he dedicates a lot of his time to now.

The Post extends its thanks to Mr Kendall for compiling and sending in the Bude Weather Watch for a number of years.