25 years ago

March 5, 1998

A bid to stop consistent vandalism in the White Hart Arcade, Launceston, by shutting it off by night has been made to the local authority.

Star Trek fans will be familiar with the Warp drive that powers the Starship Enterprise, in the fictional TV series, but a project named WARP could have similar far-reaching consequences for the North Cornwall area. Under the pacesetting scheme, all the rubbish in North Cornwall could be turned into a few tonnes of ash, with no smoke and smell problems, but the process would create re-usable energy.

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40 years ago

March 5, 1983

Miss N Horrell, of the Leicester Building Society’s Launceston branch, cut the celebratory cake to launch the local scheme of benefits for Leicestercard holders whereby they can get discounts on purchased from stipulated businesses. The local manager, Mr Jim Duvall, and another colleague, Mrs A Hudon, looked on, together with representatives of various firms present at the launching party.

Pupils of Launceston College who were winners of an essay competition organised by the Bristol and West Building Society, posed with their certificates in the company of the Society’s local manager (Mr M McCarthy), his assistant (Mr R Hurrell), the Headmaster (Mr Charles Cooper) and Mr Peter Adams (Head of the English Dept).

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50 years ago

March 3, 1973

Mr C J Moore, a builder in the town since 1936 and a member of the borough council for 19 years, has been unanimously elected as Mayor of Launceston. To him will go the honour of being the last mayor of the borough under its present status, prior to the reorganisation of local government.

Bude’s fastest woman knitter is Mrs Sally Bannister, of 2 Crethorne Road, who last week completed eight squares of wool in two hours. Runner-up with seven and three-quarter squared was Mrs Eileen Gregory, 11 Victoria Road, Bude, and Mrs Rene Stacey, of Philips, Church Street, Stratton, was third with six and three-quarter squares.

Mr W K Walters retired from his long association with Messrs Glover and Uglow on Wednesday after 35 years with the company as manager of the Launceston and Holsworthy branches, and for some time as a director. Mr W P Uglow, co-founder of Glover & Uglow Ltd 52 years ago, coupled his thanks and good wishes with those of Mr L C Matthews, managing director of The Heavy Transport (EEC) Ltd.

Main points discussed at the annual meeting of Holsworthy Chamber of Trade were the restrictions on traffic in The Square on market days, car parking facilities and the possibility of stimulating tourism to the Holsworthy area. Officers elected were: President, Mr J S Oke; vice-president, Mr A McCarthy; treasurer, Mr G Peters; secretary, Mr C Medland.

To mark the return of Sister Dorothy Tucker from Kenya, Roscarrock Hill and Wesley Church, Port Isaac, joined for their united missionary effort in the form of a Kenyan evening. Mr Maurice Brown had organised a display of leaflets, books and guides on Kenya, and Mrs D Flanders judged a Kenyan cooking competition.

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60 years ago

March 2, 1963

Following his appeal to the people of Launceston and district, the Mayor, Mr E A Hore, has sent a cheque for £515 1s 10d to the United Kingdom Committee for the Freedom from Hunger Campaign.

The possibility of a new trunk road entry into Cornwall by using the Crediton-Hatherleigh-Holsworthy-Bude route is still being explored. The County Surveyor has now reported to the Cornwall Highways Committee on the subject. He pointed out that this route at present traverses five different Class I or Class II roads and is 43 miles long. Only five miles is in Cornwall, so support of Devon County Council would be needed.

Capital works approved by East Cornwall Water Board, meeting at Liskeard on Wednesday, included mains extensions to supply Lawhitton at an estimated cost of £10,870.

The Royal Humane Society’s testimonial on parchment has been awarded to Mrs Shirley Rosemary Highman, proprietor of the Riverside Cafe, Calstock.

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70 years ago

March 7, 1953

A concern version of Smetana’s comic opera “The Bartered Bride”, given by the Bude Choral Society, received well-earned applause on Saturday at the Headland Hotel, Bude. The choir was conducted by Florence Carter.

The latest ‘sport’ — coal carrying — had a new record set on Saturday when a Helston man, Mr E J Rapson, carried a 1cwt sack non stop for seven-and-a-quarter miles in one hour, forty six and a quarter minutes.

The RAC, which controls all professional motor racing in the country has passed the course at Davidstow aerodrome as suitable. Two professional races of international character have been fixed to take place there on Whit Monday, May 25 and Saturday, August 1.

A parish meeting was called at Beaworthy on Tuesday week by the chairman, Mr Daniel Balsdon, to consider arrangements for the Coronation celebrations. It was stated that tea would be provided in the new parish hall which, it was confidently predicted , would be open for this occasion.

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80 years ago

March 6, 1943

Lord Lovatt, leader of No 4 Commando in the raid on Dieppe, has visited Launceston to lecture the Castle Battalion Home Guard, on the lessons to be learned from the operation.

Prof C E M Joad, of the BBC ‘Brains Trust’, presented the prizes at Callington County School speech day on Wednesday in the Town Hall. He told the pupils not to be ashamed of winning prizes, character alone was not enough, and brains did count.

HMS Hartland, the warship adopted by the North Devon village, sank recently, after being smashed and burnt when breaking the boom at Oran. More than 100 of her crew of 140 were saved and her captain (Lt Comdr G P Billott) took the salute after a special parade service held at Hartland Parish Church and attended by men of the RAF and the Home Guard.

A number of pedal-cyclists, summoned at Launceston for riding without lights, pleaded that wartime shortages had made it impossible for them to get batteries for their lamps. The police conceded that this was so but the magistrates imposed fines of 10s in each case.

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90 years ago

March 11, 1933

When his horse was frightened by the noise of a passing car, Mr F Lobb, of Trewennen, St Teath, was thrown from his cart and broke several ribs.

Tintagel’s football team, holders of the Cornwall Junior Cup, have again reached the final.

Mr Franklin Delano Roosevelt has been inaugurated as the President of the United States of America.

Several hundred sheep are said to have been stolen from Dartmoor over the last few years and the Scottish Sheep Breeders’ Association, holding their annual meeting at Okehampton on Saturday, are offering rewards for the capture of the thieves who are believed to raid the moors with cattle lorries.

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100 years ago

March 10, 1923

Mr Booth, proprietor of Bude Picture House, last week ran a ‘Jacky Coogan’ competition. Seeking the prize for the best copy of the chilf film star, 70 competitors turned up on Friday. Final honours were dividied between three-year-old George Haydon and six-year-old Harry May.

To discourage vagrancy, Cornwall County Council is to compel tramps to do a day’s work for a night’s lodging. They will be expected to do nine hours stone-breaking or wood-sawing. Launceston Guardians discussed the scheme on Saturday when it was said that there had been a disgraceful increase from 631 in the Launceston Union in 1921 to 1,837 in 1922, with 251 in the past month.