As we head towards this year’s Remembrance Day on Saturday 11 November, we uncover the role that Torquay, Paignton and Brixham played in the two World Wars. From tragedies to inspiring tales, we explore the unexpected military heritage of Torbay and the memorials that were created so that we never forget. 

D-Day Slipways and Memorial, Beacon Cove Torquay

On Beacon Cove you can see the two concrete slipways that were constructed for the embarkation of American troops for Operation Overlord, the springboard for the Allied invasion of German-occupied Western Europe. A public piece of art was created by Bob Budd to remember the brave men who departed from here.

Stand on the cross of light in front of the D-Day Memorial and look towards the steel ring which marks the direction the troops left in. A series of lighting units in the wooden walkway spell out a secret message in Morse Code – VANISHING POINT – to remember those who did not return.

Home Guard Memorial, Corbyn Head Torquay

During the Second World War the headland at Corbyn Head was used as the town’s main coastal battery, with huge guns in place to defend Torquay from coastal invasion. While the guns were never fired in anger, six volunteers from the Home Guard lost their lives here in 1944 when a training exercise went disastrously wrong and a shell exploded.

A pyramid-shaped memorial to the men can be found on the headland dedicated not only to these six men, but a further three other Home Guards who lost their lives in bombing raids of Torquay in 1942. It also remembers the sacrifice of 1,206 Home Guards who gave their lives throughout Great Britain during the war and as such is designated a ‘national’ memorial.  

The Queen of Crime at Torquay Town Hall

Whilst spending most of her life dreaming up unusual ways to kill people, Agatha Christie also helped save lives too. With her fiancé serving in the RAF, Agatha joined 90,000 others in becoming a nurse for the Red Cross Voluntary Aid Detachment. She served in the hospital that was set up in the Assembly Rooms of Torquay Town Hall during World War One and according to her service record, she volunteered for 3,400 hours. She then went on to work in a dispensary, where she gained invaluable knowledge of poisons used throughout her books. The character of Hercule Poirot was inspired by the Belgian refugees living in Torquay following the war.

Torquay’s Saddest Day

The 30th May 1943 has been called Torquay’s saddest day, when a bombing raid killed 35 people around St Marychurch and Hele. Of the victims, 21 were children attending Sunday school at the church of St Mary the Virgin, which gave its name to St Marychurch. Apparently, many more children would have been killed, but it was a sunny day and several had skipped church to go to Oddicombe beach.

A children’s memorial stands in Torquay Crematorium to remember those who lost their lives, while a service was held early this year to mark the 80^th anniversary of the heartbreaking tragedy and remember those who lost their lives.

The American Women's War Hospital at Oldway, Paignton

At the outbreak of the First Word War, Oldway House, which was built on the fortunes of the Singer Corporation was offered over the American Women’s War Committee by Paris Singer who paid £5000 to convert his family home into the most opulent of military hospitals.

Wards of beds were housed in its grand ballroom and domed riding school, while the sweeping staircase was the entrance to an operating theatre and its ambulances were made by Rolls Royce. Over the next four years, some 7000 men were treated at Oldway, with wards named after Nancy Astor (the first female MP), Lady Paget and Lady Churchill who raised thousands to keep the hospital going.

Evacuees at Paignton Zoo

It wasn’t just children who were evacuated to the Bay during the war, but a large number of animals too. Herbert Whitley, the founder of Paignton Zoo (then known as Primley Zoo) had already been helping war efforts by breading carrier pigeons to be sent overseas to help communications.

With the Blitz making London unsafe, Chessington Zoo were looking for a rehouse their animals and Whitley ended up not only taking on a variety of animals, but an entire circus, complete with acrobats and clowns and the famous Jungle Express that ran until 2022. Following the war, the newly renamed Devon Zoo and Circus was opened, with the exotic exhibits attracting more visitors than ever. 

Brixham Battery Gardens

Originally built in the 16^th Century to protect Brixham from the Spanish Amada, in June 1940 this outlook became one of more than 100 armed defence batteries to be built around the UK. During the war, various guns and anti-aircraft weapons were manned by the Home Guard, which consisted of around 100 men (all over 50) doing day and night duties and living in the surrounding holiday camps.

There were some 25 raids on Brixham between 1942 and 1944 and five aircraft were shot down in the Torbay area. Today a Battery Gardens Museum can be found at the top of Battery Gardens and is run by volunteers who look after the various historical structures around the site and is funded through visitor donations.

Brixham at War

Brixham was small fishing port with a population of around 8000 people when World War Two broke out. Around 1,400 evacuees came to Brixham from London, while the town also housed a large refugee population during the war, mainly from Belgium. The Americans also arrived in numbers from 1943 onwards, with Brixham and the surrounding area used in preparation for the US forces invasion of France.

The American 4^th Infantry Division departed from Breakwater Beach and onto the first beach to be liberated on 6^th June, code named Utah. To learn more about the port’s remarkable role in the war, there are a number of galleries and exhibits that can be viewed for free at Brixham Heritage Museum.     

Remembrance Day Services 2023 on the English Riviera

Remembrance Day takes place on Saturday 11 November, with a number of events taking place across the Bay to remember the service and sacrifice of the Armed Forces community from Britain and the Commonwealth and to show our appreciation for military and civilian personnel who continue to serve. Find out more about remembrance services below.