wemburywaves

On This Day in Wembury — 7 July 1939

Holiday-makers at Wembury performed an unusual “rescue” when they swam half a mile out to sea after spotting something fall during an air exercise off Wembury Point. From the dining hall of Wembury Holiday Camp ( once situated at Wembury Point ) they had seen a seaplane’s towed target shot down into the water.

Abandoning their lunch, the four swimmers struck out and eventually brought the object ashore—not a person in distress, but the battered target itself. Mr. G. L. Williamson, of the camp, confirmed he had contacted RAF Mount Batten, which arranged for the safe return of the target to station stores.

The story captures the atmosphere at Wembury Point on the eve of the Second World War: civilian holidaymakers mingling with signs of a rapidly militarising coast. Only weeks later RAF Mount Batten’s operations would be part of wartime reality, and Wembury’s beaches and cliffs would see defences, ranges, and restrictions. In July 1939, however, it was still seen as something of a seaside adventure.

Source: Western Morning News, 8 July 1939 (reporting on events of 7 July).