In 1981, 16 people, from several families, were offered refuge in Okehampton after fleeing the Communist takeover of Vietnam. The people who fled Vietnam often left in boats, and so came to be referred to as ‘boat people’. In September 1980 Okehampton Town Council...
In the 1970s, workers, business owners and visitors came to Okehampton from Spain, Italy, the Middle East and Russia. Newspaper research has resulted in the discovery of a number of stories of people coming to live, work or visit Okehampton from the 1970s onwards. In...
In the midst of a terrible storm on 1st of November 1967, Cadet Christopher Pyemont arrived at the door of Okehampton solicitor Frank Woodward. At 5 o’clock that morning, a group of army cadets were dispatched to Dartmoor on a day-long orienteering training...
After the war, the Polish Naval Camp continued to operate, this time serving as a resettlement centre for Polish men and women seeking to build new lives in the UK. From February 1947, the Okehampton Naval Camp became a Naval Resettlement Centre, and continued as...
December 1944 – March 1947 During World War II the Polish Navy in exile was based in Britain. In 1944, the Naval Warrant Officer School moved to Okehampton, from Devonport (Plymouth), via Bickleigh. Between 1944 and 1946 Okehampton was home to the Polish Naval...
German Prisoners Of War arrived in the Okehampton area shortly after D-day, in June 1944. During World War II Prisoner of War camps were numerous; there were sixteen in Devon alone. The only one of these to fall into the Okehampton district was Camp No. 673 at...
American soldiers were stationed around Belstone, a small village South East of Okehampton, during World War II and memories from residents and other information, gathered circa 2000, have have been compiled by researcher, Chris Walpole.
In 1921, Granulite Works Glass Company opened a quarry at Meldon. To produce the best glass possible, they recruited German and Dutch workers. Until the early 20th century the process of glassmaking was dominated by European manufacturers. When the Granulite Works...
Both Prisoners of War and refugees found a place to stay in Okehampton during the First World War. During the First World War we know that many Belgian refugees were placed in the town. Alice Clapp, one of the women responsible for arranging homes for Belgian...
No records have been found to suggest that Black people lived in Okehampton. However, evidence of reparations reveal that Okehampton citizens invested in, and profited from, the transatlantic slave trade. There are few connections between Okehampton and the slave...
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