Remembrance Sunday 2023

On Sunday, those of us on site at Budock Vean will gather in silence to pause for a two-minute silence.

As we remember and honour the sacrifices made by so many before us, we’ll turn our thoughts to those who continue to serve and sacrifice for our freedoms today.

During the 1940s, Budock Vean was a successful hotel, providing a temporary escape for some from the second world war with its isolated country setting. The hotel featured in several articles of The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, receiving praise for its facilities, location, food, and staffing.

In his memoires, former owner Harry B. Parkinson recalls how sailors from the Royal Navy would turn up in large groups whilst they were docked in Falmouth. At this time, the ceiling of the cocktail lounge was decorated with a stuffed monkey – a Christmas gift given to Parkinson – which the sailors took with them as their lucky mascot.

When the US Air Force came to West Cornwall in 1944, the hotel was no longer open for civilians. It became an officer’s mess, catering for uniformed men and women. The main dining room was used as a ballroom and must have offered some light relief from the unimaginable stress of war. On the 1st June 1944 many of the troops departed from neighbouring Trebah Beach for what must have been an absolutely horrendous five-day sail to Omaha Beach and the D-Day landings. You can see a memorial to these young American soldiers at the bottom of Trebah Gardens.