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On this day in Wembury 31st August 1946

Tragedy on the Journey Home from Wembury

On 31 August 1946, the Western Morning News reported the death of a young woman following a motorcycle accident at Plymstock.

Twenty two year old Vera May Axworthy, of 5 Ridge Park, Plympton, had been staying in Wembury for a holiday. On 19 August she was being taken home by her friend, Terence Russell Griffin, of Northam, Wembury Road, Wembury.

Vera was riding pillion on his motorcycle when it met a motor lorry on a sharp bend in the narrow Stag Lane at Plymstock. The motorcycle struck the right front bumper of the lorry and Vera was thrown from the machine.

At the inquest, lorry driver Stanley Reginald Matthews, of Buttsford Cottages, Lee Mill, explained that he had been carrying five tons of gravel from a nearby quarry. As he turned around the sharp bend, the motorcycle suddenly appeared ahead of him.

Matthews stopped immediately, but there was not enough room or time to prevent the motorcycle from striking the lorry.

The City Coroner, Mr W E J Major, returned a verdict of accidental death. He said there was no evidence of negligence by the lorry driver.

What had begun as the ordinary journey home after a summer holiday ended in terrible tragedy. The report also offers a glimpse of local travel in the years immediately after the war, when motorcycles provided affordable transport for many young people and narrow country lanes were increasingly being shared with heavy commercial vehicles.

Source: Western Morning News, 31 August 1946

On this day in Wembury August 31st 1970s 

In the 1970s, August 31st in Wembury was characterized by the end of the traditional summer season, the peak of local "Carnival" fever, and the ongoing presence of the Royal Navy.

Here are some specific snapshots from that decade:

1. The Wembury Carnival (Late 1970s)

In the late 1970s, Wembury had a very active Carnival Committee. The carnival was a massive village event involving floats, fancy dress, and competitions. While the main parade often took place earlier in August, the August Bank Holiday (which frequently included August 31st) was the traditional "grand finale" for summer fundraising. Archives from 1978 and 1979 show heavy planning and press clippings for these village events, which brought the whole community together before the school year began.

2. HMS Cambridge & The "Big Guns"

Throughout the 1970s, August 31st would have been a day of transition at HMS Cambridge, the Royal Navy Gunnery School at Wembury Point.

• The Noise: Locals from that era remember the constant "thump-thump" of the guns.

• The Holiday Break: Training often paused or wound down for the Bank Holiday weekend. If you were standing on Wembury Beach on August 31, 1975, you wouldn't have seen the peaceful nature reserve that Wembury Point is today; you would have seen a high-security military installation with live firing out to sea.

3. A Notable Record: August 31, 1972

Local parish records from St. Werburgh’s Church (the iconic church on the cliff) show a specific entry for August 31, 1972. It marks the passing of an 84-year-old local resident, with the burial taking place a few days later. In a small village like 1970s Wembury, the loss of an "old hand" who had lived through the pre-war years was a significant event for the community.

4. The "Definitive Map" Reviews

During the mid-to-late 1970s, Wembury was undergoing a "Limited Special Review" of its public footpaths. This sounds dry, but it was a period of high tension! Landowners and villagers often clashed over which "cliff paths" and "little lanes" (like the ones near Bovisand) should remain open to the public. August 31st, being a prime day for walkers, often saw these paths at their busiest, fueling the debates that eventually secured the public rights of way we use today.