On This Day in Wembury
11 August 1945 — Wembury Gymkhana, Flower Show & Sports
On this day a major village celebration took place in a field at the top of Knighton Hill, kindly lent by Mr. S. Wright. The event combined a gymkhana, flower and vegetable show, and children’s and adults’ sports. Competitions ranged from open and children’s jumping, to best agricultural horse, best driving turnout, and even an “Express Letter Race.” Silver cups and excellent prizes were offered. Side shows, refreshments, a licensed bar, and an evening dance followed. Admission was 1s 6d (9d for Forces, 6d for children). All proceeds went to the Jubilee Welcome Home Fund, supporting returning servicemen and women after the end of the war in Europe.
Reflection: This joyful event marked the summer of 1945 with a spirit of relief and reunion. On Knighton Hill, the whole parish gathered to honour returning Forces, blending equestrian skill, gardening pride, sports, music, and dancing in a true village festival atmosphere.
Source: Western Morning News, 21 July 1945 (advertisement for event held 11 August 1945).
On This Day in Wembury – 11 August 1992
Police issued a public warning after a spate of thefts from cars parked at coastal beauty spots around Plymouth, including Wembury, Yealmpton (Kitley Caves), and across the water at Cawsand and Whitsand Bays.
Almost 20 incidents were reported in a month, with car windows smashed and cassette radios the main target. In Torpoint alone, eight thefts had been logged since the beginning of August.
PC Simon Clark said police believed it to be the work of a single individual or organised gang. “Most of the thefts have been from holidaymakers’ cars,” he noted, urging visitors to remove valuables, “including radios if possible.”
Plymstock police added that several thefts had occurred at both Wembury and Yealmpton, pointing out that opportunist thieves often spent time peering into cars before breaking in — and that visible valuables were “easy pickings.”
The warning reflected a wider problem in the early 1990s, when cassette players and car radios were among the most commonly stolen items, especially at exposed coastal car parks.
( Editors note, and I should know as it happened to me once around that time at the Mayflower Centre in Plymouth !!! )
Source: Western Morning News, 11 Aug 1992.
On This Day in Wembury
11 August 1999 — Mystery Object Over the Mewstone
On this day the Western Evening Herald reported that amateur photographer Peter Harris, a dockyard engineer living at Wembury Point, had captured a puzzling image above the Mewstone. At 6.30 a.m. on 13 July he had set out to photograph a rainbow over the island, but the developed film revealed a pod-shaped object apparently glinting in the sunlight. Harris stressed he hadn’t noticed anything unusual with the naked eye. The image was examined at Devonport’s photographic section, who confirmed the mark appeared on the negative and was not a printing fault. UFO expert Bob Boyd urged caution, noting he had heard of no other sightings that day, while the Ministry of Defence said no military helicopters were operating in the area at that hour. The unexplained object remains a mystery.
Reflection: From wrecks and storms to ghost stories and now possible UFOs, the Mewstone continues to attract legend and speculation. Whether light effect, trick of the lens, or something more, Harris’s photograph shows how Wembury’s landmark still sparks the imagination.
Source: Western Evening Herald, 11 August 1999 (reporting on event of 13 July 1999).