I was on the Dunkirk beaches in France on Election Day here, but I did a postal vote before I left on the Royal British Legion Trip. At Dunkirk I thought of the Bradworthy man who volunteered for the Army at the outbreak of the 1939-45 War. He was in France before the retreat from Germany's superior forces and was involved in that amazing evacuation from Dunkirk's sandy shores. I refer to the late Mr. Frederick Cheese who survived this ordeal and there are many who will remember him. This was a Memories of War tour mainly historic sites of the first World War, one of which was the Commonwealth Cemetery at Tyne Cot in Belgium where there are 12000 graves. Three names to be found there are on Bradworthy's War Memorial - William Stevens, William Goodenough and Samuel leach. On one evening we were at the Menin Gate, in Ypres, for the daily ceremony, with the Last Post and Reveille sounding.
Member of a local family who has recently died far from her native heath is Mrs. Grace Hart, who for many years has lived with her husband and family in the Shetland islands. She was the wife of Mr. William Hart and passed away at Lerwick Hospital at the age of 84 years. Mr. and Mrs. Hart went to the Shetlands, where their daughter Patricia and son-in-law Mr. John Bridgeway already resided on the Island of Unst. Mrs. Hart was the second daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Slee of Waldon Cottage, Bradworthy, where she was born and attended the local school. Her brother Mr. Tom Slee and sister Mrs. Enid Bond are resident in Bradworthy.
The death also occurred at St. Joseph's Nursing Home of Mr. Royston (Roy) Cory of Kashmir, Raleigh Hill, Bideford at the age of 76. He was the only son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Charles Cory and a member of a well known family of butchers and farmers in Bradworthy. He is survived by his wife Hazel, one daughter Denise, son-in-law Mark and three grandchildren.
A visitor from Canada who called on me was Mr. Don Treble from Ottawa. I mentioned that there was a well-known family named Trible at Holsworthy and although his name is spelt slightly differently he considered he belonged to this family. However, he was more interested in his Bradworthy ancestors, Stevens and Walter, and he was pleased to find so many headstones to his forbears in our churchyard. Some of these families from whom he is descended settled in Huron County, Western Ontario. Harris, Vanstone and Moore are the names of others from this area who settled there.