Mary Seacole Pioneer Crimea Nurse

After researching the Birth of the NHS for her blog post earlier this year our Assistant Librarian, Sandi, has been looking into the life of Mary Seacole for Black History Month.... We have all heard of Florence Nightingale the Crimea Nurse but few know the name of Mary Seacole. Yet at the time, 1856, the …

Away From the Western Front – Thomas Cork’s story

We have come across many stories of local men who fought in the First World War, putting a human face to the events which still have an imapct on our lives today. One of those stories is that of Thomas Edward Cork of Appledore and his older brother William. Born on the 21st November 1894, …

Our Top 5 Posts From the Last 5 Years

As part of our 125th Anniversary celebrations we launched a blog to bring some of the stories found in our collections to life. Five years on we take a look at five of the most popular stories... 5. Beyond the Library... At number five we have an introductory post to our Beyond the Library series …

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 …

Barumite’s Visit to Gallipoli

In this article from the North Devon Herald Pte. Frank Knott talks about his experiences on board a hospital ship travelling to Gallipoli to take care of the sick and injured... Pte. Frank Knott, son of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert J. Knott, of Bear-street, Barnstaple, arrived at Southampton last week after making his first voyage …

With the Royal North Devon Hussars on Active Service

In a previous post containing a first hand account of the Royal North Devon Hussars landing at Suvla Bay letters from Sergt Cater gave an insight into what it was like for the Royal North Devon Hussars in Gallipoli. In this article, published in the North Devon Journal there are further glimpses into what life …

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 …