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In May ... 1877, 1892, 1906, 1921, 1932 and 1948 ... the Devon County Show was held in Tavistock, first in fields near Callington Road, then at Crowndale.
In April 1915
- World War One and Tavistock is heavily garrisoned, with 3000
soldiers in the town. (At the time the town's population was a
little over 4000.) The Crelake Barracks couldn't hold them all, so
some were living in the market hall and Sunday school rooms. Some
were in tents on Whitchurch
Down and others were billeted on local Tavistock citizens. (Gerry
Woodcock's "Tavistock's Yesterdays" Book 5)
In March 1890
- an economic depression hit Tavistock. The Tavistock Gazette
reported on free breakfasts for the children of the poor provided in
the infant school next to the Congregational church. "Most of the
children had large, not to say voracious appetites, but there were a
few delicate ones whose enjoyment was very limited and who gave the
impression that privation and want had done their work , leaving
these little ones to be gathered into the fold at no distant period"
(Gerry Woodcock's "Tavistock's Yesterdays" Book 6)
In February 1903
- A new wing of the Tavistock Hospital was opened, having
been built with funds left by the Tavistock banker John Gill on his
death in 1874. The Gill Wing contained two wards and ten beds and
had cost the enormous sum of £3000 to build.
In January 1915
- Tavistock hears of the Christmas truce in World War One. On
January 8th
1915 a letter appeared in the Tavistock Times from " a friend now in
the trenches with the Allies" which gave a graphic account of the
one day unofficial Christmas truce on the Western Front. Apparently
the Germans started it, but by the time of writing everybody was;
".back to trying to kill each other again." (Gerry Woodcock, vol 14)
In December 1756 -
Are the streets of Tavistock safe to walk after dark? A
constable and four inhabitants of Tavistock were, on a rota basis,
to maintain a vigil in the town between 9 pm and 5 am. The aim,
apart from keeping the locals in order, was to catch French
prisoners of war loitering
about the streets after the 9 o'clock curfew and lock them up for
the night.
(Gerry Woodcock, vol 9)
In November 1892 - Gun crime comes to Tavistock. Spurned William Williams buys a revolver in the ironmonger's shop in Brook Street, Tavistock and shoots dead Emma Doidge and William Rowe in Cox Tor Lane, Peter Tavy. (Gerry Woodcock, vol 8)
In October 1782 - Tavistock gets friendly. Tavistock's First Tradesmen's Friendly Society meets at the "Crown and Cushion" in Barley Market Street. (The building is still there on the corner with Drake Road and still down at the old level.) The purpose of the society was to provide sickness and funeral benefits to members. It doesn't do that any more, but it's still going strong. (Gerry Woodcock, Vol 15)
In September 1714 - First twinning visit misses target. Sophie Dorothea of Celle comes to England but fails to make it all the way to Tavistock because of the unfortunate fact of her being the wife of the new King, George I. Had she not upset him and spent the last thirty two years of her life in prison, she would surely have started the Celle-Tavistock connection much earlier in the history of the two towns. (Gerry Woodcock, vol 15)
In August 1779 - Birth of John Taylor, engineer and builder of the Tavistock Canal (Taylor Square commemorates him.)
In July 1911 - Last of the properties of the Duke of Bedford are auctioned off
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