On This Day in Wembury — 29 March 1945
A Call to Protect Wembury Point
On 29 March 1945, as the Second World War was drawing to a close, a letter from F. Squance of Mannamead, Plymouth, appeared in the Western Morning News appealing for the future protection and public access of Wembury Point. Writing under the heading “Wembury Beaches,” Squance welcomed the Admiralty’s recent decision to abandon its post-war plans for Bodmin Moor but raised an urgent question:
“What of Wembury Point? Accessibility to this beauty spot will be of interest to thousands of Plymothians, and it features in Plymouth’s post-war plan. Can we be sure that it will be available to the public?”
During the war, the headland at Wembury Point had been taken over by the military for coastal defence and gunnery training. The area was still under Admiralty control in 1945, its beaches fenced off and access restricted. With the war ending and the reconstruction of Britain under discussion, local residents were eager to know whether such cherished landscapes would return to civilian use or remain closed as military zones.
Squance’s letter reflected a wider public mood of optimism and vigilance — the hope that peace would restore open countryside and coastal freedom. His concern for Wembury Point anticipated later campaigns that would eventually see the land transferred to the National Trust, preserving it permanently for public enjoyment.
Source: Western Morning News (Plymouth), Wednesday 4 April 1945 — Letter dated 29 March from F. Squance, Mannamead, Plymouth, titled “Wembury Beaches.”