The Railway at Kingswear – Stationmaster Mr Bovey
o The railway comprised all the land that is now the Marina and the car park also there were vegetable allotments on both sides of the creek.

o The jetty was used to off load the coal from ships (jetty boats) via two electric cranes on to railway wagons. Sam Hawke’s horse (stable in Brixham Rd field at Wilfull Murder) pulled the individual coal trucks and made up into trains when they were full.

o The trains took coal to Torquay Gas works and Newton Abbot Power Station and a Barge to Dartmouth Gas works.

o There was a goods depot at the back of the station under the charge of Mr Penwarden receiving all the incoming and out-going goods and luggage which in those days it could be dispatched in advance by GWR to your destination anywhere in the district, and delivered in the two lorries and three vans based at Kingswear Station.

o The carriage sidings, cattle pens, turntable and water supply tank for the engines was all below the banjo where the car park now is.

o Mr Bovey looked a bit fierce but he used to let us help the engine drivers turn the engines and quite often we would get a ride to the station via Hoodown (I am proud to have had a ride on the footplate of King George Fifth – it is now in Swindon GWR museum).

o The cattle from the railway used to be driven down Fore Street to the car ferry – sometimes they would escape and often end up in the river – some swimming across to Dartmouth!

o Mr Bovey used to allow us to help the engine-drivers push round the turntable then some drivers would give a ride to the station via Hoodown bridge.

o The station was bombed in 1942 one landed in the mud, one on the embankment near the footbridge, two at “The Chalet” (Church Hill) – one on the garage the other in the garden and one at Brookhill – all dropped in line!

o The King and Queen arrived in the Royal train on Friday May 8th 1942 on a visit to the Royal Navel College .

o On our way to school at Dartmouth after dinner one day in 1941 we were told to shelter in the Dart Hotel by PC Mardon, because a big German plane was circling the harbour. A Spitfire came and had a go at it but made the mistake of flying below it and was shot down landing between the Dartmouth and Kingwear Castles. The pilot was OK and the engine was trawled 30 years after.

o The very “hush hush” Radar station at Colton Fishacre had a UX bomb one afternoon in 1942. When I got home from work my mother told me all the Civil Defence had to search for more bombs as the plane should have had 4 in total but no more were found.

o I attended the Duke Street bomb with the Kingswear ambulance crew; Reg Worth, Charles Bovey, Charles Burrows. We spent the Saturday and Sunday helping.

o In 1941, the “ragamuffin” came from Jersey – a person escaped from the occupied island in an eight-foot long boat and was picked up by a destroyer heading for Dartmouth – it had taken him 5 days. Would you believe HM Customs wanted import duty on the boat when the man came back to Dartmouth on leave from the RAF to go fishing on it.

o In 1943 Kingswear had an equipped Rescue lorry it was kept at Mr Fairweather’s Garage. We exercised with it on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings at the Plymouth Childrens orphanage at Nethway House and Coleton Farm but thank goodness it was never needed.

Reg Little (Who is prone to digress – wasn’t this supposed to be about the Railway Station ?)
Kingswear History Remembered