Tag: Tiverton

TS Hermes - Tiverton Sea Cadets

Tiverton: WWI Naval Gun [Lime Kiln Road] – Playing in the 1970s Was Very Different! (5.7.2025)

I was born in Oxford – but my parents moved to Tiverton (in East Devon) in 1970. I started school (Wilcombe) in 1972 (when 5-years old) – but changed to a school in Exeter in 1977. However, I have a memory of joining (after school) a group of classmates who “played” on a WWI Naval Gun situated on a public street (situated in Lime Kiln Road)! I have lived in Sutton (South-West Greater London) for over three-decades today – but recently – whilst picking-up my children from school in Cheam, I saw youths dressed in the uniforms of what is today termed the “Combined Cadet Force”, and the thought of myself once playing on a military gun (around 1977) bubbled-up in my mind (although publicly accessible – the gun in question was placed outside the Tiverton Sea Cadets Training Hall). In fact, after having experienced many interest things in my life (including four wonderful years based in Hereford during the 1980s), and having travelled around the world, I surprised myself with this memory and was not even sure it was real!

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Diane Wyles c. 1975 - of the Lakota Tribe!

Torquay: Strange Goings within the English Riviera! (24.5.2025)

Above is my esteemed mother – Diane Wyles – and you can see the “Asian” influence – in this instance she is distantly linked to the squaws of Lakota Sioux – who defeated Custer at the Little Big Horn (it’s a long story). The Lakota women cut holes in the dead Custer’s ears – so that in his next life he would “listen”. As I have said many times, my family is ethnically mixed and proud to be so. My mother today is in her late 70s and very much the victim of an uncaring and collapsing British State. Her body is ageing and fragile but her spirit is strong.

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Pen is Mightier Than the Sword!

My Shakespeare “Complete Works” Editions! (10.3.2024)

The first was in 1992 – purchased from a local WH Smiths in a place called ‘Tiverton’ in East Devon (I believe during the time that my Irish grandmother – Gladys Kilmurray – was very ill and when her British daughter and American grandchildren were visiting the UK from Seattle, US) – whilst the second was acquired from The Works in Torquay High Street in 2007 (five-years after my family had uprooted and migrated to the South Coast). Both are superb editions with the first being easy to carry around whilst the latter is a very large, impressive and “Grand” Limited Library Edition – designed as a “Reference” copy only NOT to be borrowed or moved about (it is far too heavy for that)! The first is compact – whilst the second is lavishly illustrated and easy to read.

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Football History – I Was There! Pre-Season Friendly: Sutton United Vs Leicester City – Played Tuesday July 16th – 2002 [Kick-Off 7:30 pm]! (14.6.2002)

Eventually, during the 1970s, he founded the ‘Tiverton Town Cricket Club’ (TTCB) – and for a time found fame with the antics and achievements this sporting entity achieved! I was actually researching old newspaper articles featuring ‘Peter Wyles’ who is described as the ‘Captain’, ‘Manager’ and even ‘Groundsman’ between 1975-1980! Like everything, eventually other power-bases (and egos) developed and my father quietly withdrew! This is why today all kinds of people make ‘fake’ claims to having founded ‘Tiverton Town Cricket Club’! As a young child, I used to accompany my father to the Tiverton Cricket Club Home Ground (during all kinds of weather) – situated on the outskirts of Tiverton (near the Rugby Ground) – where he used to cut the grass, ‘roll’ the ground and ‘mark-out’ the pitch! I even have memories of attending one or two ‘Home’ matches – and remember talking to the other team members (including ‘Peter Goldsworthy’ and ‘Pete Townsend’, etc). I also remember that one or two of my father’s friends in the team were attending St Luke’s Sports College (in Exeter) at the time – which meant they were of ‘Professional’ cricketing standard with no one locally realising the situation!

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