Each week, the Tiverton Gazette has a column devoted to ‘Local news’. The photos illustrate the variety of topics covered during the later part August 1923.
Cutting from a newspaper that reads: ‘A postcard sent from Cullompton to a Tiverton resident on December 8th, 1904, has just been delivered.’
A cutting from a newspaper that reads: ‘A great improvement in Bampton street has been effected by the reconstruction of the ‘Tiverton Gazette’ printing and publishing offices.’
A newspaper cutting that gives details of a visit to Tiverton from a Mr. and Mrs. Needs of Cleveland, Ohio.
The reporting of the stay of American visitors in Tiverton may be surprising but very useful for anyone researching these families. Australian newspapers often carry reports of letters received from the UK with local or family news which would not have made it into newspapers at home.
In the Museum’s collections we have a lot of postcards. Most of the more ornate, embroidered ones date from the First and Second World wars and were worked by French women and sold to servicemen to send home.
Embroidered postcard addressed ‘To Harry’.
In the 1920s when few people had telephones, postcards were used extensively for appointments, advertising and business transactions. Some were typed and others pre-printed as shown in these examples.
Advice Card from a Motor and Cycle Accessory Factor and Warehouseman. It advises that ‘Our Mr. North hopes to call on you on or about Thursday’.
The reverse of the Advice Card above. There is an elaborate stamped logo for ‘Frank Chick Cycles Exeter’.
The printed text on this postcard reads: ‘Dear Sir, I thank you for your letter of the 29th. inst., but we have already engaged a Bank for out Sports from 2 till 9pm so shall not be requiring another one. T.J. Melhuish. Hon. Secretary, Sports Committee.’ It is dated July 31st. 1923.
A pre-printed postcard from Great Western Railway Station Master’s Office, requesting the return of an expired Season Ticket. It has several blank spaces that can be filled in with details of the specific station and a season ticket number. They have not been completed on this card.
It is obvious, from the messages written, that receipt of the card was expected either the same day or the day after – certainly an improvement in the 19 years it took for the card reported in the Gazette!
Written by museum volunteer, Sue B.