On This Day in Wembury – 2 June 1931
A burglary was reported at a bungalow at Warren Point, Wembury, belonging to Charles Francis Gladstone Williams. The property was broken into and food and clothing worth only a few shillings were stolen.
The theft formed part of a wider case brought before Yealmpton magistrates later that month. Alongside the Wembury incident, Herbert William de Freshwille Gallimore of Polston Park, Brixton, had his home broken into, windows smashed, and clothing, medals, and a cigarette case worth over £15 taken.
Alfred Joseph Hibbitt and Violet Hibbitt, described as of no fixed abode, were arrested after Detective-Constable George Thomas of Plymouth Police traced the stolen medals to a house in Cecil Street, Plymouth. Both admitted the offences and were committed for trial at the forthcoming Assizes.
The case was widely reported as an example of how small rural communities like Wembury and Brixton were not immune to opportunistic crime during the early 1930s.
Source: Western Morning News, 19 June 1931.
On This Day in Wembury – 2 June 1990
A routine day on the beach turned hazardous when schoolboy Robert Page of Hawthorn Drive discovered a three-foot-long smoke flare washed ashore. The canister, ominously marked “Do Not Touch”, had been dropped by an aircraft but failed to ignite.
Robert did the right thing and contacted the police straight away. Bomb disposal experts were called in and safely destroyed the device before it could cause harm.
Reflection
Incidents like this were not uncommon in the late 20th century, when military training flights still regularly crossed South Devon. For Wembury locals, it was a reminder of the coast’s dual character — a place of play and leisure, but also one shaped by its naval and wartime connections. Parents warned their children to be wary of strange objects on the shore, a habit that still lingers among older villagers today.
Entries are summaries and interpretations of historical newspaper reports.