Woolacombe and Mortehoe like many towns and villages across the United Kingdom suffered great loss during the First and Second World War, it was also a time of great change for the villages. This page is constantly being updated and I would love to add your stories, memories or recollections to the page.

I started writing a piece for the magazine called the ‘People behind the Names’, this is an ongoing project looking at the Mortehoe War Memorial and writing about the people whose names are inscribed on it. I hope to turn this into a book in the future.

World War 1

The First World War lasted from 1914 until 1918, it was one of the largest wars in history.

Like many towns and villages throughout the United Kingdom men were recruited to fight for their country. Many did not return home. Woolacombe and Mortehoe, like many other places suffered a great loss, the names of those who died being remembered on the local war memorials.

World War 2

The Second World War lasted from 1939 until 1945 and involved virtually every part of the world.

Beginning in Europe on the 1st September 1939, soldiers and civilian staff would soon be taking inventories of the large hotels and homes in Woolacombe and Mortehoe in preparation for their requisition. The area soon had defences set up and by 1943 due to its similarity to Normandy, Woolacombe beach would be used as a training ground with tens of thousands of soldiers now billeted in the area.