Western Morning News, The Plymouth (UK) back issues from April 2007:
Surrender wasn't an option
Apr 02, 2007 ... When Rex Hunt, Governor of the Falkland Islands, was told that aninvasion fleet was heading towards him his reaction was matter-of-fact. "It looks as though the silly buggers mean it," he told two RoyalMarine commanders he summoned to his office. The bombshell was delivered ...
An early morning telephone call that led to war
Apr 02, 2007 ... Late on Thursday, April 1, 1982, my staff and I had returned tothe UK from a recce in Denmark and northern Germany. It had been funand our hosts had been more than hospitable. We were all lookingforward to a long weekend with our families. While my staff went on to our new ...
Task force is ready and off to join battle
Apr 02, 2007 ... At 2am on Friday April 2, as the 1,800 British islanders slept,more then 2,000 Argentinian Marines were off-loaded from their navalfleet of 15 vessels to the east of the main island. A large air and sea operation ensued, that was met with brave andbloody fighting from the far ...
Memories of a crew left out in the cold
Apr 02, 2007 ... Writing home to his beloved wife in March 1982, Chief MechanicalEngineering Mechanician Geoff Cox thought he would be heading back tohis home near Plymouth on May 20 after a long deployment to the bleakAntarctic. The crew had been carrying out scientific research in thesouthern ...
Five-star sestaret pledges his loyalty
Apr 02, 2007 ... The good news for Plymouth Albion is that Nic Sestaret's heartlies with the city and he has no intention of moving on. The bad newsfor Albion's Division One opponents is that the French winger willcontinue to destroy them, in much the same manner as he did atBrickfields on Saturday, when ...
Reds stand firm to repel Manchester
Apr 02, 2007 ... Redruth showed true grit on their travels on Saturday. They neverwent behind, but had to hold out against a determined late onslaughtas they triumphed 23-18 to record their first-ever victory atManchester's Grove Park - their 16th win of the season. "To hang on at the end when we ...
Chiefs storm to heights as Doncaster are demolished
Apr 02, 2007; ... Exeter Chiefs produced arguably their best-ever Sandy Parkperformance as they blew away third-place Doncaster 36-12 to inflicttheir biggest defeat of the season. The Chiefs might have been forgiven for taking their eyemomentarily off their National Division One campaign, with ...
All blacks in crushing form
Apr 02, 2007 ... The race for promotion is well and truly on and, with thiscrushing 56-0 whitewash of Harrogate at Polson, the Cornish AllBlacks have again marginally increased their advantage over fellowNational Division Two front-runners, Henley Hawks. Henley won on Saturday at Halifax but the ...
Confirmation has fans dreaming of a Wembley date
Apr 02, 2007 ... After months of speculation, the Football League confirmed whatall football fans wanted to hear late last week - the League'spromotion play-off finals will be held at the new Wembley Stadium. After confirmation a week previously that the FA Cup final wouldbe staged there and then ...
Bell's injury strikes a sour note as off-key pirates lose rhythm
Apr 02, 2007 ... With little time to survey the damage following Saturday's 16-10reverse at London Welsh, Cornish Pirates coach Jim McKay will todaycarry out a revised check of his walking wounded before preparing toset sail once more. Having arrived in the capital with an already lengthy list ...
Yetton seals victory as Elburton villa confirm title credentials
Apr 02, 2007 ... Elburton Villa and Newton Abbot made the most of Dartmouth drawing2-2 at Holsworthy by winning their games and narrowing the gap on theAxworthy's Devon League leaders. Second-placed Elburton travelled to Ivybridge Town and confirmedtheir credentials with a 2-0 victory. Lance ...
Millbrook hammered by Saltash
Apr 02, 2007 ... There is no change at the top of the Carlsberg South WesternLeague table, with the top four sides recording victories at theweekend. Leaders Saltash United did their goal difference a power of goodwhen they travelled to Millbrook and returned home 7-1 winners. Saltash boss ...
Arscott sets tone
Apr 02, 2007 ... Devon Under-20s moved within one win of Twickenham yesterday whenthey beat Hampshire 29-18 at Aldershot to claim a place in the semi-finals. Devon were always ahead after an early try from Plymouth Albion'sTom Arscott, but found Hampshire resilient opponents who refused togive ...
Doumbe's speedy exit
Apr 02, 2007 ... Not for the first time this season, a Plymouth Argyle fixturereached its conclusion with the referee having been the mostnewsworthy participant in the encounter, rather than any of theplayers on display. Jon Moss, from West Yorkshire, took charge of a Pilgrims' matchfor the first ...
Argyle have to make wise choice, whoever they upset
Apr 02, 2007 ... Danny Bance has a lot to answer for. Mike Pejic's first game incharge of Plymouth Argyle's youth team in the Carlsberg South WesternLeague was against St Blazey, the current employers of the formerArgyle full-back. Bance is used as a midfield enforcer by St Blazey, and he ...
Doumbe's red riddle
Apr 02, 2007; ... Mat Doumbe was as baffled as everybody else in the Plymouth Argylecamp after his participation in the Pilgrims' encounter with IpswichTown was cut short after less than two minutes on Saturday. The Devon club's classy central defender was sent off in theopening moments of Argyle's ...
Lovell puts Brixham in to promotion play-offs
Apr 02, 2007; ... Brixham are through to the South West Two promotion play-offsfollowing their 13-10 win in the derby with Torquay Athletic. The Fishermen only needed a point to be sure of second spot inSouth West Two West behind champions Coney Hill - and didn't looklike getting that with 68 ...
Perfect league record is just one game away from Barnstaple's grasp
Apr 02, 2007; ... Barnstaple are on course for the perfect league record craved bycoach Jeremy Chugg after they won 29-5 at Withycombe to make itplayed 21 and won the lot with one game to go. Withycombe is the sort of place even the best of clubs can slip upat - as Barum discovered last year when ...
Town struggling to
Apr 02, 2007 ... Russell Slade intends to make full use of his Yeovil Town squadover the closing weeks of the season - and will be tempted to makewholesale changes after the Glovers' performance at Boundary Park. Yeovil have been impressive away from home this term but werestrangely subdued against ...
Restoration brings many benefits
Apr 02, 2007 ... News from Exmoor National Park Authority is that the Exmoor MireRestoration Project at Blackpitts and Exe Head, north of Simonsbath,is coming along well. The pools being created will be wildlife havens for dragonflies,frogs and even otters. Bog and fen plants will help to bring ...
Region won't forget what the Tories did
Apr 02, 2007 ... Represent a rural constituency and I don't need Mr Cameron to tellme that Labour has let down rural areas over the last ten years. Butthe crisis in rural communities did not start ten years ago. If onlyMr Cameron's memory were as strong as that of the voters in Devon andCornwall. If it ...
Rural England let down again
Apr 02, 2007 ... Readers with long memories will know that the Western MorningNews' criticism of the Government's neglect of the rural Westcountrydid not begin with the election of New Labour to power. When JohnMajor's Conservatives were in control, our comments about a lack ofunderstanding of the rural ...
It looks like a case of deja vu for the gulls - again
Apr 02, 2007 ... If you were reading this on April Fool's Day you would believeTorquay United have a chance of staying up wouldn't you? I am writing this on April 1 and I am not pulling your leg: it's acase of here we go again at Plainmoor. To say I sense a case of dejavu coming on is an ...
'I think that we looked in control'
Apr 02, 2007 ... Torquay United head coach Keith Curle is hoping for another homewin to back up to Saturday's splendid 1-0 last-gasp victory overStockport. A win over Walsall would see the United side put together byCurle and director of football Colin Lee in a much happier ...
Reid shows class
Apr 02, 2007 ... All the pre-match hype quite rightly centred on the Plainmoorreturn of United folk hero and centre-forward David Graham. However, the classy 28-year-old would have been proud of thefinish supplied by a striker ten years his junior to restore thefaint hopes of another late, great ...
Paul and vanessa deserve each other
Apr 02, 2007 ... Celebrity Wife Swap was tremendously entertaining fly-on-the-wallTV with a high wince factor. Wife swap? I can't believe anyone wouldwant to live with celebrities Paul Daniels and Vanessa Feltz in thefirst place. They say opposites attract and on the face of it, that should ...
Mechanical failure strikes to deny toseland a famous double
Apr 02, 2007 ... A mechanical failure denied James Toseland the chance to delighthis home fans with a Donington Park double in the third round of theWorld Superbike Championship yesterday. The former world champion (pictured left) powered his HannspreeTen Kate Honda to a commanding win over Troy ...
Most pupils offered place at chosen secondary
Apr 02, 2007 ... Almost 95 per cent of 11-year-olds in Devon have been offered aplace at their first choice of secondary school, new figures show. Anxious parents have just found just out where their sons anddaughters will be heading in September. Many applied online and alsochecked the results of ...
Top musical summer school marks a milestone
Apr 02, 2007 ... A world-renowned summer school which attracts students from acrossthe globe has organised a packed programme of classes to celebrateits 60th anniversary. Dartington International Summer School, held in South Devon,attracts more than 1,000 visitors each year. The school, ...
Challenge for bee keepers
Apr 02, 2007 ... Sweet success and an unclaimed top trophy await Cornish honey-makers and beekeepers at this year's Royal Bath & West of EnglandShow. They are invited to enter the show's Bees and Honey competitionsand compete for the Cornwall Bee Keepers' Association Challenge Cup. The ...
Bring home our heroine
Apr 02, 2007 ... Hms Plymouth, heroine of the Falklands War and a classic exampleof a "Town" class frigate, must be brought back to Plymouth. Now there are rumours that either Plymouth or Portsmouth ...
New facilities for autistic children
Apr 02, 2007 ... A major centre for children with autism has been opened in Devon. More than pounds100,000 has been spent on a purpose-builtclassroom for pupils and to expand specialist accommodation for thechildren, at Manor Primary School, in Ivybridge, South Devon. The development was ...
Rare vehicles to go on sale at auction
Apr 02, 2007 ... A rare 1920s American sedan will be one of the star attractions ata car auction in Bridgwater tomorrow. The Stutz Vertical Eight Type BB Sedan dates from 1928 and wasimported from the USA about 20 years ago. Following extensive work by the owner, auctioneer British ...
Diploma boost for teenagers
Apr 02, 2007; ... Westcountry pupils as young as 14 will be among the first in thecountry to benefit from new diplomas, as part of the Government'sdrive to keep them in education or training. The diplomas, which cover a diverse range of vocational subjects,will be available to all youngsters aged ...
Environment modulation is 'unfair'
Apr 02, 2007 ... Farmers in the Westcountry will continue to be at a disadvantagewhen competing with their European Union neighbours, followingGovernment revelations that more cash will be going from the farmingsupport budget into rural development schemes. The announcement that voluntary ...
Counting the cost of the chancellor's 'stealth taxes'
Apr 02, 2007 ... What to make of the Budget? The headline-grabbing announcementtowards the end of Gordon Brown's speech was that basic rate incometax will drop by 2 per cent, but not until April 2008 and that thehigher rate of tax would not start until pounds43,000 in 2009. So why announce it now, ...
Post office closures decision delayed
Apr 02, 2007; ... Uncertainty over the future of Westcountry post offices is tocontinue for another two months after the Government was inundatedwith opposition to planned closures. Ministers were due to announce the results of a major consultationto axe thousands of branches across the country last ...
Why I've reverted to 'normal' bulbs
Apr 02, 2007 ... Our caring Government has decided to slavishly observe an EUdirective that requires all private houses to use nothing but so-called energy-efficient lightbulbs within a few years. That process is likely to lead to stockpiling of existing bulbtypes, given that the apparent costs of ...
Tennis club's worry over plan for road
Apr 02, 2007; ... Members of a Cornish tennis club fear it could be destroyed ifplans for a new road go ahead. The chairman of Truro Tennis Club has issued a stark warning onbehalf of the 400 members who are desperately concerned about thefuture of the organisation. Carrick District Council ...
Sir Menzies attacks Tories' rural record
Apr 02, 2007; ... The battle for votes in the Westcountry steps up a gear today withLiberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell accusing his Toryopponent of using "empty rhetoric" to disguise a history of failure. A week after David Cameron told the WMN Devon and Cornwall heldthe key to his bid for ...
Sun brings out best of Britain
Apr 02, 2007 ... Zoe kenyon for April 2 OTHING beats Britain on a good day. Last weekend, we went to visitsome friends in Fowey. We'd been to that part of Cornwall before,when I was in the early stages of pregnancy and feeling sick. It was also during some of the worst weather on record, and ...
Campaign for new affordable homes
Apr 02, 2007; ... Campaigners are urging the Government to build 6,000 more homes ayear in the region, as there are more than 39,000 names on councilwaiting lists in Devon and Cornwall. In both counties, the figures represent a rise of around 125 percent in the past decade. The situation was ...
Challenge of saving planet and having affordable food
Apr 02, 2007 ... Do we have an appetite for saving the planet or cheap food? Thequestion, posed at an open debate in the Westcountry, was a trickyone. Those asked to get a handle on it - politicians, big business,farming leaders - argued to a packed audience that, if the "greenrevolution" was to ...
Keep fighting killer disease
Apr 02, 2007 ... Here was a coffee morning at our village hall recently to raisemoney for CancerBACUP. It was organised by one of the mums involvedin the toddler group. She said the reason she was doing it was toensure she spent that particular day doing something constructivebecause otherwise she would ...
They're mean machines - and they're green
Apr 02, 2007 ... Racing cars which run on fuel from plants and a vehicle that cango from London to Edinburgh on pounds20-worth of petrol are amongexhibits at the world's first "eco-friendly motorshow" at the EdenProject. The Sexy Green Car Show features the latest offerings from topvehicle ...
Beach is cleaner thanks to volunteers
Apr 02, 2007 ... A group dedicated to supporting community and environmentalprojects has taken time to clean one of Cornwall's beaches as part ofa national campaign. Staff at Seasalt Cornwall volunteered to pick up litter atFalmouth's Castle Beach in support of the Marine ConservationSociety's ...
Stretch of cycle trail officially open
Apr 02, 2007 ... A new section of the Exe Estuary cycling trail has officiallyopened. Devon County and Exeter City councils have worked in partnershipto improve the three-mile stretch from Bridge Road to Turf Lock. It is the latest part of the ten mile, off-road cycle network andhas been ...
New dentists ease need for NHS help
Apr 02, 2007; ... Four new NHS dentists are due to start work in a Devon seasideresort, providing treatment for up to 10,000 new patients. Devon Primary Care Trust, which is responsible for providing NHSdental services, has arranged for the dentists to start work inExmouth early this ...
Licence plan angers sea angler
Apr 02, 2007 ... Angry sea anglers are opposing plans for an annual sea anglinglicence, proposed in the forthcoming Marine Bill. Kevin Bennetts, a former commercial fisherman, now a keen seaangler, believes making a licence compulsory for each of the morethan three million people who enjoy the ...
Worry over marine bill proposals
Apr 02, 2007; ... A leading marine lawyer believes the recent Marine Bill WhitePaper has "quite worrying implications" for the Westcountry'sfishing industry. The Government published its White Paper, A Sea Change, on March15. Charles Hattersley, from Ashfords in Plymouth, told how the ...
Government 'must supply cash to build communities'
Apr 02, 2007 ... The south of England should get Government money to pay for"vital" infrastructure improvements to cope with the area's boomingpopulation, regional leaders say. Civic leaders in the South West and the South East are calling onthe Government to provide Regional Infrastructure Funds ...
Council jobs saved after 'genuine consultations'
Apr 02, 2007 ... Union chiefs have welcomed measures to reduce the number of joblosses at Mid Devon District Council. In February, the council proposed 25 redundancies from a range ofservices as part of measures to avoid a budget deficit of pounds1.2million in the next financial year. But the ...
Pensioners' leader praised for work
Apr 02, 2007; ... Heartfelt tributes have been paid to an "inspirational"pensioners' campaigner as he stepped down after almost a decade offighting for the rights of the elderly. However, Albert Venison is not severing all ties with the DevonPensioners' Action Forum (DPAF), of which he is a founder ...
16,000 flock to food festival
Apr 02, 2007 ... Exeter's biggest ever food festival was in full swing over theweekend, with thousands of visitors flocking to sample deliciousWestcountry produce. Around 16,000 people clamoured to try delicacies ranging fromcheese and fine meats to traditional farmhouse cider. Puddings, ...
Elderly urged to make themselves heard
Apr 02, 2007 ... A rallying cry has been sent out to pensioners to take to thestreets and make themselves heard. Council tax protester Sylvia Hardy was among those to call on theelderly to act on their convictions and turn out to demonstrationsorganised by the Devon Pensioners' Action Forum ...
High winds accelerate spread of gorse fires
Apr 02, 2007 ... Four separate gorse fires raged through large areas of theWestcountry at the weekend, fuelled by high winds. Around 60 firefighters were involved in tackling a blaze atGoonhilly Downs, on Cornwall's Lizard Peninsula, on Saturday evening. Earlier that day, around two miles of ...
Farm pay shambles: 800 may lose jobs
Apr 02, 2007; ... More than 800 civil servants are facing redundancy after theGovernment's shambolic introduction of the single farm paymentscheme. The Mail on Sunday claimed yesterday that a leaked e-mail warnedof the Treasury's intention to impose swingeing job cuts within theDepartment for ...
Falklands' top brass join call to save ship
Apr 02, 2007; ... Five of the highest ranking naval officers who served during theFalklands War have signed a letter stressing the importance ofpreserving a Westcountry warship in her home city. Captain David Pentreath, Commanding Officer of HMS Plymouth in1982, has written the letter, which ...
'Nightmare' 76 days at sea is over
Apr 02, 2007; ... Veteran Westcountry sailor Sir Robin Knox-Johnston is back on dryland in America after a gruelling 76 days at sea, which he says henever wants to repeat. The legendary skipper from Newton Abbot has been dogged byequipment failures in the second leg of the Velux 5 Oceans ...
137,500 tickets for Glastonbury sell out in just 90 minutes
Apr 02, 2007 ... Tickets for this year's Glastonbury Festival sold out in therecord-breaking time of just 90 minutes yesterday. Music fans swamped the legendary event's booking phone line andwebsite after they went on sale at 9am. By 10.45am a record 137,500tickets had been snapped up for the ...
Moore's hat-trick helps Godolphin rout Padstow and challenge for title
Apr 02, 2007 ... Top man in Saturday's Premier Division programme was Godolphin'sDave Moore who grabbed a hat-trick of goals in his side's resounding7-1 victory over bottom-placed Padstow. With ten victories and a drawfrom their last 11 league games Godolphin have shot up the table andcurrently in third ...
Tiverton warm up for cup final by beating high-flying king's lynn
Apr 02, 2007 ... Tiverton Town gave themselves the perfect fillip before tomorrownight's Errea Cup final first leg by beating promotion-chasing King'sLynn 1-0. Relegation-haunted Tiverton's win hoists them three points clearof fourth from bottom Cirencester in the British Gas BusinessSouthern ...
Jones steps up to
Apr 02, 2007 ... Exeter City ended a run of four straight defeats away from home inthe Nationwide Conference as a dubious penalty decision handed themall three points at struggling Altrincham. The game had seemed destined for a draw after City striker RichardLogan's early second-half strike had ...
Motorcyclist killed in collision with car
Apr 02, 2007 ... A motorcyclist died after his machine was in collision with a carin Plymouth on Saturday. Police have appealed for witnesses to the accident, which killedthe 57-year-old rider. His Yamaha XJR1200 and a BMW 330 were involved in the crash onForder Valley Road, at about 4.45pm ....
Donkeys play a part in palm Sunday services
Apr 02, 2007 ... Rescue donkeys played their part at Palm Sunday church servicesyesterday. Eight donkeys from the Sidmouth Donkey Sanctuary in East Devonhelped illustrate the triumphant journey of Jesus into Jerusalem, astold in the Bible story. According to the Gospels, Jesus rode into the ...