The 1921 Census and North Devon

The 1920’s were known as the “Roaring Twenties” with the “Bright Young Things” of the wealthy classes life had never been better with their hedonistic wild behaviour shocking society. A legacy from the First World War was that women were much more independent. For young women, known as “Flappers,” gone were the tight corseted, floor …

Home From Dujailah – Braunton Sergeant’s Experiences in Mesopotamia

In August 1916 one of the journalists from the North Devon Journal visited Sergt. George Kerswell in Braunton. George Kerswell was born in Dunsford, near Exeter, in 1878 before moving to Braunton. By the time he went to war he had a wife, two sons and a step-daughter and was in the thick of the …

The Priscott Twins

Fred and Reg Priscott, twin brothers, served with the 1st 6th Devons in both India and Mesopotamia during the First World War. Born 18th October 1895, in Barnstaple, they were the Regiments only serving twins. Before the war both Frederick John and Reginald James Priscott were working for local furniture maker Shapland and Petter and …

Mervyn Ninnis – Trenches Like Canals

Whilst scanning items for our North Devon War Items project on our Facebook page, I came across several stories about the men who served in the war which made me want to find out more about them. One of these men was Mervyn Ninnis of the Devonshire Regiment. Born on the 9th January 1889, in …

North Devon Men in the Great Naval Battle

In this second post to mark the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Jutland  is a transcript taken from the North Devon Journal published the following week. In its report covering the battle the Journal published information about those who survived as well as those who did not... In the Great Naval battle on May …

The Battle of Jutland – The Toll of the Brave

In the first of two posts covering the Battle of Jutland 100 years ago today we have a transcript of an article from the North Devon Herald. The next post will be a transcript taken from the Herald's rival paper, the North Devon Journal. Published almost a week after the event both published news regarding …

Searching for Symons

This week we have had Alex with us on work experience. While he was here he took the opportunity to do some research into his family tree using many of the resources we have available in our own collections as well as some of the resources of our partner departments of the North Devon Record Office and …

Welcome to 2016

The start of a new year gives us a chance to reflect on some of the things we have discovered over the last year and look forward to some of the things we may find during 2016. In 2015 we showcased some of the items we have in our general library collection through our new series of Discover...On …

Discover Gallipoli and the Dardanelles…On Our Shelves

This month marks the anniversary of the Royal North Devon Hussars arrival in Gallipoli in 1915. By the time they arrived the  British and ANZAC troops had already suffered heavy casualties and there were already calls for the Peninsula (also known as the Dardanelles) to be evacuated. The Royal North Devon Hussars landed in Suvla …

Royal North Devon Hussars at Gallipoli – a first hand account

A hundred years ago today the Royal North Devon Hussars were landed at Sulva Bay as part of the Gallipoli Campaign. Very little was reported in the newspapers at the time as there was a ban on the reporting of movements. It was only after the evacuation of the peninsula that the stories of those …