Birth,
23rd April 1901 in Kingsteignton,
Devon, England
Residence,
Pottery Cottages, Kingsteignton, Newton
Abbot, Devon (now 58 Newton Road)
Tudor Hill, Newton Abbot, Devon.
Exeter Road, Kingsteignton, Newton
Abbot, Devon
Marriage,
to Dorothy Albrighton
Died, December 1989 in Torquay, Aged
88.
The
following is an extract of a report
which was printed in the Mid Devon
Advertiser, the local paper for the
Newton Abbot area, on the 6th July
2012. It is printed with the kind
permission of the auther, Steve Harris
of the Mid Devon Advertiser.
"The
articles about the swimming pools
at Meadowcroft Drive and Kingsteignton
Junior School that featured a few
weeks ago prompted Marjorie Coker
to send in a certificate awarded to
her father, Herbert Mudge, when he
belonged to Newton Otters Swimming
Club."
"It
was in the days before there were
any local swimming pools and the river
or canal served as the local swimming
facilities."
"As
the certificate shows Herbert, or
Herbie, as he was fondly known, swam
a distance of one mile 600 yards from
Buckland Point to the first railway
bridge over the River Teign in a time
of 34 minutes and 55 seconds. The
Newton Otters normally held their
swimming practice in the Stover Canal
at Jettymarsh Lock"
"I've
dipped into the Kingsteignton Photo
Archive and found a couple of postcards
showing the route Herbie swam to gain
this award".
"The
stretch of the river marked the parish
boundary between Kingsteignton and
the neighbouring parishes of Combeinteignhead
and Wolborough."
"On
contacting Mrs Coker, she was able
to tell me how he used to live at
Pottery Cottages and later Gestridge
Road, and was not only a good swimmer,
but also a useful rugby player for
Kingsteignton RFC."
"She
also told me he was also a keen cricketer
and was an umpire at South Devon Cricket
Club."
"After
giving up playing rugby he took on
administrative roles as a referee
and touch judge, and later was secretary
to the Devon RFU. As a touch judge
he ran the line in the County Championship
finals of 1956 and 1957 when Devon
played Middlesex and Yorkshire respectively.
He also served as a parish councillor
and on the ram fair committee."
"Down
the years people such as Herbert Mudge
have been the backbone of the local
communities."
ps
Herbie was also a special police sergeant
in the local area.
