On This Day in Wembury — 3 June 1940
A summer’s day by the cliffs at Wembury ended in violence when a dispute over sunbathing turned into a shooting. Wilfred Barrack, of Rivelin, Cliff Road, Wembury, confronted three young men whom he considered to be “almost nude” while sunbathing. After warning them to dress or face the police, Barrack later intercepted them on the cliff path. As one of the group, Douglas Nicholas, a carpenter from Plympton, tried to run past, Barrack fired his shotgun. Nicholas was struck by pellets in about fifteen places.
At Plympton court, Barrack claimed he had been provoked and took his gun only “to intimidate” while on his way fishing. The magistrates were not persuaded. He was fined £5 for malicious wounding and ordered to pay 14 shillings and a penny costs.
Source: Western Morning News, 4 June 1940
The incident highlights how personal disputes could quickly escalate in an era when many countrymen kept shotguns at home. Coming just a day after the evacuation from Dunkirk was declared complete, the contrast between local tensions and national crisis is striking.
Entries are summaries and interpretations of historical newspaper reports.