On This Day in Wembury — 21 February 1939
Burglary at a Wembury Bungalow
On 21 February 1939, the Western Morning News reported the conclusion of a burglary case that had stirred quiet Wembury earlier that month. Sidney Weatherall, aged 29, of Herbert Place, Stoke, Devonport, was committed for trial at the next Quarter Sessions in Exeter, accused of breaking and entering a bungalow in Wembury and stealing household articles worth £2 3s 10d.
The property, a weekend retreat named Hillcrest, belonged to Mr Cecil Richard John Roberts, a company managing director of Seymour Road, Mannamead, Plymouth. Roberts told the court that he had left the bungalow securely locked on 5 February, but when he returned on 11 February after receiving a report, he found “a pane of glass at the back broken, drawers pulled out, and obvious signs that someone had entered.” The missing items were later identified at Yealmpton Police Station.
Detective-Constable Albert Edward Roper and Sergeant Witte handled the investigation. Weatherall at first offered an explanation for the goods in his possession, but later made a full written confession “to clear things up,” admitting to the break-in and theft. When brought before the Plympton magistrates, he also faced an unrelated charge of driving a motorcycle combination without insurance, having failed to stop for police near Crownhill.
Superintendent S. F. Smith told the court that Weatherall wished to have twelve other cases of taking and riding away motor vehicles considered alongside the Wembury offence. He ultimately received two months’ imprisonment and was disqualified from driving for three years.
The incident reflected a growing anxiety in the late 1930s about petty crime spreading from the towns to the coast, even into the quiet lanes and clifftop bungalows of Wembury.
Source: Western Morning News (Plymouth), Tuesday 21 February 1939 — “Loss at Wembury Recalled: Devonport Man Accused.”