Mr. Arthur Thomas Colwill of Waterpark Road, Bideford, who died on April 20th at the age of 74, was closely linked with Bradworthy through his late wife Beatrice who died in 1981. She was a daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Archie Dayman and she and Mr. Colwill lived for a time at Bradworthy after their marriage. The funeral service took place at the High Street Methodist Church, Bideford and was followed by burial in Bradworthy Churchyard.
A recent visitor has been Mr. Mike Ashton from Camberley, Surrey, a direct descendant of the Bradworthy Ashtons. The name is no longer here, although there are descendants of this family, who early last century were lords of the manor. Mr. Ashton visited Mr. and Mrs W.L. Wickett at Silworthy, Ashton descendants, his line having emanated from the branch of the family who lived there.
Daily we hear of the warring activities in the regional areas of Yugoslavia, places the names of which we had forgotten when Yugoslavia was a united country under its federal government in Belgrade. Today we have one of our local Servicemen in Scopje, Macedonia. He is Cpl. Ivan Ham of the 28th Engineering Regt. He has the sincere good wishes of all here at home for his present safety, good health and ultimately his safe return. Macedonia being in the Balkans was early involved in the 1914-18 War and British troops were sent there then. A brother of my father was there, as also was Mr. Edgar Sutton, who many here in Bradworthy will remember. In the last War Communist Partisans led by Tosip Broz Tito drove the Nazis out of their country and Yugoslavia became a Communist federation of six republics under President Tito, a peaceful country and pleasant to visit for decades.
It is always regrettable when a link is broken by a surname familiar in the parish for generations comes to an end. This has happened by the sudden death of Mr. Augustus Elam (Gus) Hockridge who for his pleasant disposition and social activities is greatly missed. My personal memories are of three generations of the family, back to the late Mr. Elam Hockridge, my parents when I was a child having lived not far from his farm and he attended Atworthy Chapel. He had a gruff, rather alarming voice, but was very friendly towards children. I remember him amusing me when I was a small boy by imitating the call of the cuckoo and also the whistle of a train. His son Elam, farther of Gus, served with others from Bradworthy in the Dardanelles during the 1914-18 War. Mr. Gus Hockridge was closely involved in the community, being the longest serving parish councillor, a member of the Bowling Club and Carnival Committee. He had been a sergeant in the Special Constabulary and was a member of the Conciliation Lodge of Freemasons.