Cornwall in World War Two Photographic Exhibition

Discussion in 'WW2 Museums. Events, & places to see.' started by CornwallPhil, Jul 31, 2019.

  1. CornwallPhil

    CornwallPhil Senior Member

    If you are in Cornwall over the August Bank Holiday weekend you might like to check this out...
    Gwithian design.jpg
     
    CL1, slick, SteveDee and 3 others like this.
  2. smdarby

    smdarby Well-Known Member

    Might just do that as we are staying in a caravan in Hayle that week. My mother's family are from St Just and my grandfather was a tin miner who worked at Geevor mine during the war. Reserved occupation I presume?
     
  3. CornwallPhil

    CornwallPhil Senior Member

    Yes and as well as producing tin and copper the Cornish mines also provided a wealth of other metals vital to the war effort.
     
    smdarby likes this.
  4. CornwallPhil

    CornwallPhil Senior Member

    Gwithian is on the A4 Bus Route for those relying on public transport. Nearest railway stations are Hayle or Camborne.
     
  5. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    For what it's worth, I really enjoyed the Cornwall Regimental Museum in Bodmin. There is a used book room too ;)
     
  6. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Two of my mates are down in Cornwall at that time, I will give them the heads up.
     
  7. slick

    slick Junior Member

    The exhibition was superb, I wish there were more of these sort of events. Just my personal opinion, but its the sort of thing that I think local libraries should be hosting. Just got to make time to get stuck into reading the novel now :)
     
    Last edited: Aug 26, 2019
    CornwallPhil and Chris C like this.
  8. Uncle Target

    Uncle Target Mist over Dartmoor

    Photo attached D Day practice for American Rangers I believe. Crooklets Beach Bude Cornwall. There is a memorial on the Headland to American Forces. Long time since I was there.
    Go North to Northcott Mouth beach once blocked with "Dragons Teeth" anti tank obstacles. There are traces of a Liberty ship that ran aground supposedly full of watches for repayment of lease lend. Climb Bucket Hill towards Sandymouth there was a rifle range where kids used to dig out spent rounds.
    They also had a landing strip for biplanes to tow targets for AA practice. The guns were on the cliffs. Further North is the Morwenstow Satellite Tracking Station and one time landing strip.
    Go south to Davidstowe once an impressive airfield for American Bombers coming in from the USA but it suffered from being Fogbound.
     

    Attached Files:

    slick and CL1 like this.
  9. CornwallPhil

    CornwallPhil Senior Member

    slick
    Thanks for the feedback. Hope you enjoy the novel.
     
    slick likes this.
  10. slick

    slick Junior Member

    Got the last chapter tonight, couldn`t put the thing down, a bloody good read. Have you got anymore in the pipeline ?
     
    CornwallPhil likes this.
  11. CornwallPhil

    CornwallPhil Senior Member

    The plan is to write the second in the trilogy & get it to the printer in January to release it next Easter.
     
    slick likes this.
  12. CornwallPhil

    CornwallPhil Senior Member

    Correct. I have a photo of the Rangers attacking the pillbox in your photo. For a re-enactment see my YouTube video "Bude at War 2017" which also contains a commemorative service at the memorial.
    Morwenstow is a GCHQ Composite Signals Organisation Station, basically a satellite ground station and eavesdropping centre. It is on the site of RAF Cleave which was the wartime base of 1 Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit and was an anti-aircraft gunnery range and grass landing strip.

    RAF Davidstow was an operations-based airfield flying mainly anti-submarine patrols and missions against the ports on the French Atlantic coast. Bombers from the US came into RAF St Mawgan which was the home to the 491st Base and Air Base Squadron, Air Transport Command, USAAF.
     
  13. slick

    slick Junior Member

    Finished the book and I`m looking forward to reading the follow ups :)
     
  14. Bude

    Bude New Member

    Hi, I'm an Archivist at the Heritage Centre in Bude and am dealing with a query concerning the grounding of a Liberty Ship at Northcott Mouth. I cannot find any references to it in our records and wonder if you could tell me where you referenced the information that you had? Thank you, Patricia.
     
  15. CornwallPhil

    CornwallPhil Senior Member

    Hi Bude. I suspect Uncle Target may be confused with the SS Belem from WW1 but await his response to your post. Richard Larn's Shipwreck Index would be the definitive work to consult. Most libraries have one in their reference section.
     
  16. CornwallPhil

    CornwallPhil Senior Member

  17. Uncle Target

    Uncle Target Mist over Dartmoor

    I think that Cornwall Phil is right.
    In the 1990's wherever you went on holiday you met someone who was there (or knew someone who was) during the war as it was the 50th Anniversary of WW2.
    I was walking from Bude to Sandymouth and stopped to take in the view as It was a clear day and the Satellite Dishes were clear in the distance.
    A group of people stopped for a chat and explained what I was looking at, telling me about Davidstowe, the Pillbox in Bude, the Dragons Teeth at Northcott, the Rifle Range on the cliffs and the AA Gunnery Range. Morwenstow being where the aircraft took off to tow the targets. I mentioned it in my previous posting as I often wondered if it was true or a local yarn, like the ones that told of German submarines sending in dinghies to collect water at Sandymouth or in fact all stops from Padstowe to Minehead, depending on where you took your holidays. There are specialists on here who could probably verify it.
    Memories (including my own) fade, stories and places get mixed up.
     
    Last edited: Jul 7, 2021
    Chris C likes this.
  18. CornwallPhil

    CornwallPhil Senior Member

    Just a heads up that I am at the West of England Steam Rally at the Stithians Showground with part of my Cornwall in WW2 Photo Exhibition so if you are in the county & visiting the event come & find me.
     
    JimHerriot and CL1 like this.

Share This Page