On This Day in Wembury — 8 November 1900
A Hero’s Welcome Home from the Boer War
Wembury villagers gathered in force on Thursday evening to honour Trooper L. L. Reid, nephew of Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Coleman of Sparewell Farm, who had just returned from the war in South Africa. Reid, who had volunteered ten months earlier, fought with Roberts’s Horse in some of the most famous actions of the campaign, including Reit River, Modder River, Dronfield, McFarlane’s Farm, Koodoo’s Drift and Paardeberg, where he witnessed Cronje’s surrender on Majuba Day.
His service was not without peril. On 31 March 1900, while escorting a convoy at Sanna’s Post, Reid’s troop rode into a Boer ambush. His horse was shot and he was thrown to the ground, narrowly escaping death. He and a companion crawled under heavy fire to shelter, only to be captured and sent to Waterval Prison in Pretoria. Believing him dead after his helmet was found near a fallen comrade, his family even received notice of his death in the Western Morning News. After two months’ imprisonment, he was freed when Lord Roberts entered Pretoria, only to fall dangerously ill with enteric fever before being invalided home.
At the Wembury meeting, chaired by Dr. Clay, Reid was presented with an illuminated parchment and a silver bowl subscribed for by 133 supporters. Overcome with gratitude, he thanked his neighbours warmly and was given an ovation.
The gathering was more than a simple homecoming — it was the village’s way of expressing pride and relief at seeing one of their own return from the Empire’s distant battlefields, alive against the odds.
Source: Western Morning News, 10 November 1900
On This Day in Wembury — 8 November 1944
The Western Morning News reported that at a recent Buckingham Palace investiture, King George VI decorated officers and men of the submarine Ultor for gallantry in the Mediterranean. Among those honoured was Frank Forrest of Knighton Hill, Wembury, who received the Distinguished Service Medal (D.S.M.).
The report highlighted the Ultor’s remarkable record of sinking 29 enemy ships and her role in the landings in Southern France. Nearly 290 officers and men were recognised that day, including many Westcountry names across the Army, Navy, and Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve.
Source: Western Morning News, 8 November 1944
Wembury’s own Frank Forrest stood among those decorated, a reminder that even the smallest villages had ties to world events. For readers in 1944, seeing a local name honoured in the King’s court must have brought a moment of pride amidst the strains of war.
Entries are summaries and interpretations of historical newspaper reports.