On this day in Wembury – 08 July
1944
The Western Morning News published a strongly worded letter from Major R S Redmond, retired, of East Amla, Church Road, Wembury. He wrote in response to remarks made by a Miss Dorothy Bowhay about the Pope, arguing that her criticism had crossed the line into unfairness. Redmond defended the Pope’s position as the spiritual head of millions during a global war and urged Bowhay to read Catholic weeklies or official encyclicals before judging his role.
Redmond framed his letter through his own long military service, noting that he had seen Catholics fighting loyally for Britain in both world wars and felt that Bowhay’s comments were unjust to them. His tone reflects the heightened sensitivities of mid 1944, when public morale, unity, and respect between different faiths were treated as essential parts of the national war effort.
Although the letter is about church matters, it offers a revealing snapshot of Wembury’s wartime community. Villagers engaged closely with national debates through the newspaper’s correspondence pages, adding their voices to discussions on faith, loyalty, and public conduct just weeks after D Day.
Western Morning News, 08 July 1944.
Entries are summaries and interpretations of historical newspaper reports.