One of the worst peace-time
disasters happened sixty years ago on the night of Saturday 31 January and
Sunday 1 February 1953 when a storm surge – “the Great Tide” – breached the
poor sea defenses of the Eastern England coastline. Today ‘red warnings’ from weathermen and
other early communication systems would probably have prevented the high death
toll among those who lived by the sea. We
should not judge the event by today’s standards. That was then and this is now. The event spurred significant defenses to be
built along our coastline as a consequence.
One of the best sites covering
the 1953 Flood Disaster, with particular reference to Canvey Isand is ‘Beyond
The Point’. Joe and Liam, two teenagers
from Castle Point are enthusiastic local historians with a particular interest
in industrial heritage and their locality.
They record the unseen history of south east Essex. The young men are using the Internet to
publish their journals, and they remind me of the young and pioneering Eric
Rudsdale of Colchester who in the 1920s got involved in archaeology in
Colchester and wrote a detailed diary. Joe
and Liam’s account of the events on Canvey Island can be found here: http://beyondthepoint.co.uk/2013/01/30/canvey-island-floods-60-years-on/
. See also their account and BBC Essex
recording of the unveiling of a memorial plaque to those who died : http://beyondthepoint.co.uk/2012/05/21/121997-plaque-to-commemorate-53-flood-victims-is-unveiled-by-vincent-heatherson/
The Essex Record Office blog
has posted pictures of the disaster: http://www.essexrecordofficeblog.co.uk/the-1953-floods-in-essex/
A commemoration service was
held at Chelmsford Cathedral yesterday, with the Princess Royal in
attendance. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-21264408 and ‘BTP Facebook page’ http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.526850860670449.115207.238743826147822&type=1
BBC Look East interviewed
author Patricia Rennoldson Smith on their programme last night.
The BBC website has a number
of items which recall the event, including memories of the events at Canvey
Island: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-21233959
. Fifty nine people died as tide
engulfed their bungalows just after midnight, some of whom struggled onto the
rooftop to avoid the water only to suffer from the intense cold of the winter
night.
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