Budleigh Past and Present

Or should that be ‘WAR HEROES’ HOME’? Estate agents do not normally include the biographies of previous occupant of the houses that they’re selling. But ‘The Cottage’ on Budleigh Salterton’s West Hill is surely an exception.   It’s also a thatched property, making it something of a rarity in the town.   Not only is ‘The Cottage’ a charming period house in an almost rural setting only a few minutes’ walk from the centre of Budleigh, but it was also the home of a distinguished army officer decorated for his bravery during Word War One.  Major Cyril Kitchin DSO, who lived there with his wife Norah Ella Kitchin née Leach, was typical of a certain group of Budleigh residents of the past in that he served with the British Army in India in the days of the Empire.   He died on 2 April 1944, aged only 61, and is buried in St Peter’s Burial Ground on Moor Lane in Budleigh. His son, Squadron Leader Peter James Robert Kitchin DFC, had an equally distinguished wartime record,...