WAR HERO’S HOME ON THE MARKET



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, serving with the Royal Air Force, 75 (NZ) Squadron until his death on 12 March 1942.

You can read about both father and son at  https://budleighpastandpresent.blogspot.com/2021/01/ww2-75-12-march-1942-flying-with-kiwis.html

And details of The Cottage are at https://richardboud.exp.uk.com/property/west-hill-budleigh-salterton-ex9/1346748/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

People from the Past: 3. Reg Varney (1916-2008)

Image
Reginald Alfred 'Reg' Varney was an English actor, most notable for his role as a cheerful Cockney bus driver in the 1970s TV sitcom On the Buses . For ten years he lived at Dark Lane House on picturesque Dark Lane in Budleigh Salterton, seen above.  Millions of television viewers remember him with affection. He has been described as belonging to the old school of comedians, with his dislike of much contemporary television and his pride in never using swear words to get a laugh. Varney was born on 11 July 1916 in Canning Town, which was then part of Essex but is now part of East London. His father worked in a rubber factory in Silvertown and he was one of five children who grew up in Addington Road, Canning Town. He was educated at the nearby Star Lane Primary School in West Ham and after leaving school at 14, he worked as a messenger boy at the Regent Palace Hotel, pictured above. ...
Read more

Buses’ star ‘an inspiration’ for Canning Town’s Madalaine

Image
It’s a long way in many senses from London’s East End of London to the tranquil coastal setting of Budleigh Salterton. But for thousands of fans who look back with nostalgia at the age of British sitcoms like The Rag Trade and On The Buses   the little East Devon town is making quite a name for itself. An exhibition at the local museum, free vintage bus rides and pebble art on Budleigh’s famous beach… it’s all to mark the centenary of Reg Varney, better known by many including more than 12.5K members of the On the Buses Fan Club as Cockney comic bus driver Stan Butler. There’s even a musical show in his honour, staged at the local Football Club. But  Before The Buses, as the show is called, deliberately focuses on his little-known early years when he started out as an 15-year-old self-taught pianist and singer playing in the tough environment of working men’s clubs. By pure chance one of the show’s stars, Madalaine Pe...
Read more

WW2 100 – 23 January 1945 – A tragic accident in Burma: Captain Gerald Arthur Richards (1909-45), Royal Army Medical Corps

Image
Continued from 21 January 1945 FLIGHT SERGEANT RENNIE ARTHUR LOADER (1915-45) Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR), 518 Squadron https://budleighpastandpresent.blogspot.com/2021/04/ww2-75-21-january-1945-forecasting-for.html         A photo of Gerald Arthur Richards sent to me by his daughter Louanne   Like a number of war dead whose names are not listed on Budleigh’s War Memorial,  Gerald Arthur Richards is mentioned by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) as having a link with the town through his wife Kirstine. It was difficult to confirm that link, but there were enough intriguing aspects to Gerald’s story to raise questions that I wanted to see answered. Further research led to more East Devon links – to Honiton, Exmouth and further afield. In a very roundabout way I finally made contact with his daughter Louanne, to whom I am grateful for providing information about the family, not least some family photos like the...
Read more