A UNIQUE commemoration took place at Bitton House, Teignmouth on Tuesday when a small group gathered around the bell that hangs in the hallway of this historic house, writes Viv Wilson.

The bell was from a fire engine that was in service during World War Two when the station was part of the Town Hall that stood on the site of the current Brunswick St car park.

Town Councillor Richard Ash noted that this year would be the 80th anniversary of a tragic event that claimed the Town Hall (built 1883) and 14 lives and arranged for it to be marked by a small informal ceremony.

Hosted by Teignmouth’s Mayor and Mayoress, Iain and Jackie Palmer, the assembly consisted of town councillors, three former town mayors, Richard Stonelake (Teignmouth’s Fire Chief) and family members of Maurice Mortimore, a Teignmouth fireman.

Pictures: Viv Wilson

ON Thursday, August 13, 1942, at 5.30pm, a bomb was dropped on Brunswick St during the town’s 17th air raid.

The only fireman on duty, 26-year-old Maurice Mortimore, was mortally wounded and died the following day in the makeshift Hospital at Hermosa House.

The lives of his wife Marion and baby daughter Vivien were changed in a heartbeat.

Thirteen other lives were claimed and many injuries caused to the townspeople on that dreadful day.

Maurice’s daughter, Vivien Roworth, now 80 and living in the Isle of Man had hoped to travel to Teignmouth to attend the commemoration but an accident on the mainland made it impossible for her to attend and she expressed her wishes from a hospital bed in Hillingdon to Viv Wilson by phone and these were worked into the ceremony.

She asked that each person recorded as killed on that day should have their name read out and a single note sounded on the bell for each one.

This was duly carried out by the Mayor, Mayoress and Cllr Ash.

Maurice’s niece, Patricia Donohue, read a brief address on Vivien’s behalf which filled in many aspects of the story which was illustrated by a photographic print out of images from The Wilson Archive.

A simple tea and cake sharing with time to reflect brought the event to a satisfying conclusion

Footnotes

l Patricia’s father, Patrick Full was the groundsman at Hermosa House and when Teignmouth’s new hospital was being built in 1954, he diligently transported numerous wheelbarrows of soil and tools across from Hermosa to enhance the new grounds at Mill Lane.

l The original bell rope, taken from Bitton House some four years ago was replaced for the ceremony.

It is hoped that the person who took it away and was recorded on cctv will return it to Bitton House as it is a wartime relic and is sacrosanct.