On This Day in Wembury – 1 May 1886
Two Royal Artillery gunners, Alfred Addison and James Hey, stood trial at Exeter for a violent incident at Wembury.
On the night in question, the pair were firing off their rifles near the home of Herbert Joseph Pitts Giles, a local farmer. When Giles protested, they threatened to shoot him. He retreated indoors, but moments later several shots were fired through his door.
At their trial, the jury acquitted the soldiers of intending grievous bodily harm but found them guilty of common assault, describing the act as a “gross outrage.” Both men were sentenced to twelve months’ imprisonment with hard labour.
The case reflects the tensions that could arise between servicemen stationed in the Plymouth area and local residents — particularly when discipline broke down in rural parishes like Wembury.
Source: Express and Echo, 17 May 1886.
Entries are summaries and interpretations of historical newspaper reports.