Delabole Slate April 2022

Banks
Ray Worden
I have read Helen's piece about banks in the March edition of “The Slate” with interest because between 1966 and 1971
I worked for NatWest Bank (then National Provincial) at Camelford and one of my duties was to attend the Branch Agency
Offices at Delabole, Boscastle and Tintagel. We went to Tintagel three half days a week in Summer and one half day
in Winter. Boscastle and Delabole had a half day each, Summer and Winter. We were transported to and from by taxi,
owned by Mr “Taggs” Hayne of Camelford and our usual driver was Mr Les Dawe. Because we carried a large amount
of cash with us we were supposed to vary our route regularly for security reasons but, to the best of my recollection, I
don't think we ever did.
Thursday was our day to come to Delabole. We would open the Boscastle Agency in the morning from ten to midday,
then have an hour for lunch and to make our way to Delabole to open the office there at one o'clock until three o'clock
in the afternoon. As Helen said, the Bank employed someone to act as a bodyguard. The bodyguard was always an
elderly retired gentleman, so I don't imagine he could have put up a lot of resistance in the event of an armed robbery.
I can remember having three different bodyguards in my time, Mr Harold Sandercock from Camelford, Mr Irving Arnold,
a Delabole chap originally, but then living in Tintagel and Mr Frank Nute, also from Tintagel. Mrs Irving Arnold made
delicious pasties so en route from Boscastle to Delabole we always detoured to stop at Irving's house to pick up a hot
pasty each for our dinner.
Our Delabole office was in Mr & Mrs Claude Penfound's front room in Gordon Terrace, which is the row of cottages
between The Bettle & Chisel and what used to be the Co-op Butcher's shop (later Quarry Cafe). Before I became the
agency clerk the job was held by one of my colleagues called Paul. One Thursday afternoon after Paul had come back
from Delabole we did the daily cash balance and came up £100 short, quite a tidy sum back then. Having double and
triple checked the figures Paul was despatched back to Delabole in Taggs's taxi where, fortunately, he discovered the
missing bundle of a hundred £1 notes hiding under Mr & Mrs Penfound's front room table.
I'm afraid Helen's memory is playing tricks on her, because NatWest later moved from Mr & Mrs Penfound's, not to the
old SWEB shop, but to an office at 17 High Street, more or less next door to what was in those days Mr & Mrs Eric
Heath's hardware/DIY shop and later Mandy's Hairdressers. This office was part of a property owned by a Mrs Madeline
Reid, whose maiden name was Treleaven. She had previously lived in New Zealand for several years, but was originally
from an old Delabole family. I can remember two of her brothers, Charlie, who had an accountancy business in Lanson,
and Harry, who was partially disabled. Harry lived in a residential home at St Teath, owned by Mr & Mrs Garwood and
he could often be seen out and about around Delabole and St Teath villages. Harry may have been disabled in body,
but his mind was sharp as a tack. He could remember the birthday of practically everyone he knew, plus most of their
family as well. I expect some of The Slate's older readers may remember him and Charlie.
One incident that has remained with me concerns the time a Bank Inspector called unexpectedly when I was manning
the Delabole office one day. He asked me if I had tested the alarm system, something I was supposed to do every week
first thing on arrival. I told him of course I had and that I did it weekly without fail, which, I'm afraid to say, I never did.
He then asked me to demonstrate it for him and when I pressed the alarm button, probably for the first time in many
years, there was a loud “Bang” that blew every fuse in the building.
Some customers I can remember who used the Delabole Agency weekly for their business were Mrs Carol Heath, from
the shop next door, Mr Bert Hall, who traded as Cornwall Electrical Installations in Medrose, and Western Engineering
Ltd, owned by Mr George Iles. Mr Douglas Chard, who did their accounts, always came in to pay in the cheques the
firm had received and also to draw out cash to pay the employees' wages.
To clear one or two other things up, it was Barclays Bank that took over the old SWEB Shop, now Dr Garrod's surgery,
and the Midland Bank office was in the house then owned by Mrs Cory, Les Cory's mother and where Les lived in more
recent times. If I remember correctly, Les worked for the Midland Bank at Padstow for a short time after leaving school
before getting a job with Southern Railways, first at Padstow Station and later at Delabole Station.
World Day of Prayer
Formerly called Women’s World Day of Prayer, it is always
held on the first Friday of March and this year Delabole
hosted the event for our area.
The service was based around a verse from Jeremiah, ‘I
know the plans I have for you’ - a verse of hope - and hope
was the overarching theme. It was symbolised in the use
of lighted candles and packets of seeds.
But the amazing thing, which almost all commented on,
was that, with the Ukrainian war in all our hearts and
minds, this service might have been prepared the day
before rather than the year or so in advance that it was.
It was so apt.
Anyone wishing to have the booklet that accompanied
the service, please contact a member of the Methodist
Church