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Local historian Alex Mettler, began reading old gravestones at the age of 10, sparking an interest in local history, and he is still passionate about piecing together ‘the jigsaw of people and place’.
Alex admits that he had no interest in history at school whatsoever, but he was intrigued by graveyards and church memorials and, in the ensuing years began to develop a curiosity for local history. He was born in Middlesex in 1938, after his parents cancelled their return to Zurich when WW2 broke out. Educated at Harrow County Grammar School, it was here that he formed an interest in chemistry, studying to A level, along with zoology. At the age of 17, he got his first job as a laboratory assistant in the biochemistry department at the Glaxo Laboratories head office in Greenford, doing research and development on human and animal foods. He studied at night-school for seven years, obtaining a degree in chemistry and eventually becoming head of department. He moved to Tavistock in 1976, after promotion to technical manager with Farley’s Health Products Ltd (part of the Glaxo Group) in Plymouth, where he was in charge of research and development, and quality assurance. Six years later, he became an executive director adding responsibility for production and coordination of foods research and development for Glaxo worldwide. He left Farley’s in 1986 to become a freelance consultant, advising on infant foods development and quality systems worldwide, before retiring in 1997. He is a past Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and Fellow of the Institute of Food Science and Technology and has also chaired a number of professional panels on infant foods and published 14 scientific papers on related subjects.
Still pursuing his love of local history, Alex was a founder member of the Tavistock Local History Society in 1984.
Following a suggestion by his friend, the late Gerry Woodcock, together they hit upon the idea of researching the stories of the 119 men who died in the First World War and whose names are listed on the Tavistock war memorial. Alex says that it was challenging and, at times, deeply emotional, especially when talking to relatives of those who had died. There was much less information available on the internet then, than there is today. After four years of work, however, the result was a book, We Will Remember Them – The Men of Tavistock who died in the First World War, published in 2003.
Alex is a founder member and trustee of the Tavistock Heritage Trust, a registered charity which aims to encourage everyone to explore the town's rich history, and conserve its heritage for future generations. A major project of the trust, working in partnership with Tavistock Town Council, will be managing Tavistock Heritage Centre in Tavistock Guildhall, which is shortly to be refurbished with the help of a grant of £780,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (scheduled completion date 2021). The Guildhall complex was an early, purpose-built, magistrate’s court and police station and current plans include interactive displays about Tavistock’s development, local law and order, the town’s rich mining history and its place within the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site. Over the years, Alex has given many talks on Tavistock townscape, and led guided walks around the town. He has also published four further books on aspects of Tavistock history, including Lest We Forget – The Tavistock Fallen of the Second World War (2007), about the lives of the men listed on the Tavistock war memorial; and A Devon Gem – The Bedford Hotel (2013), charting the history of the famous hostelry.
Alex’s passion for local history and his dedication to enable greater enjoyment of Tavistock’s heritage is plain to see, and he still spends many hours transcribing old documents and recording gravestones. In whatever spare time is left to him, he enjoys watching sport as well as doing a spot of coarse fishing and gardening. As for his next project, Alex tells me, with a twinkle in his eye, that he is in the process of writing a book on the fascinating history of the 28 pubs and two breweries which have existed in Tavistock over the years since the early 1800s. Indeed, from the age of 16, he has had a growing interest in the history and products of breweries, a process which has involved the necessary sampling of liquid refreshment in many public houses!
Kaye Rogers