The Civil Defence Corps and the Floods of 1960 - Part Two, Winter.

The Civil Defence Corps and the Floods of 1960 - Part Two, Winter.

3^rd - 11^th Dec. Newtown, Montgomeryshire

Newtown, Montgomeryshire, December 1960

During this spate of heavy rainfall, nearly 8% of all the houses and premises in the County of Montgomeryshire were flooded. Newtown and the surrounding area were seriously affected with many houses partially underwater for eight days. During this period, emergency feeding was provided by the Welfare Section of the Montgomeryshire Division of the Civil Defence Corps. A field kitchen was set up near Pool Quay railway station, under a large tarpaulin supplied by a Welshpool firm. In many cases, food had to be delivered by boat. Meals were also provided for the volunteers (many from The Young Farmers Club and British Red Cross Society) who came to help with the mopping up operations.

The County C.D. Officer reported that, had he not overturned a reconnaissance landrover in a submerged ditch, the entire operation would have been without a hitch.

There is some film of flooding in Newtown form The British Film Institute available here

3^rd - 5^th Dec. Hereford.

Bridge Street, Hereford, December 1960

Civil Defence in Herefordshire was concentrated heavily towards the Welfare Section as it was one of the evacuation plan Reception Areas. Whilst all the other C.D. sections were available in the county, for most emergencies, the C.D.C. were low of the the “call-out list”.

On the night of the 4^th December 1960, the River Wye rose to 19 foot six inches (6 metres) which was the highest since records began (This level was only beaten by the floods of 2019). The older part of the city is above the river but the suburbs and surrounding villages were inundated, some to a depth of 7 feet (.2.15 metres). The St. Martin’s area (where around 15,000 people lived) was completely cut off from the rest of the city.

This caused problems for the Hereford C.D. as their administration block and stores were on one side of the flood and their Group Control Room was on the other. To get some of their equipment to the most affected parts of the city, normally a two mile trip, took the C.D. vehicles on a thirty mile round trip to negotiate the lowest point of the flood.. Likewise, Personnel were split with some only able to get to the stores and others to the Control room. The phone line between the two was cut temporarily but restored by the G.P.O. on Monday morning.

No request for assistance was made until 13.45 on Monday 5^th December, when it was decided to evacuate the village of Hampton Bishop using a helicopter.

Soldiers from the S.A.S. building flood defences at Hampton Bishop.

Whilst waiting “for the call”, Staff at the C.C. HQ had been loading their vehicles with the bedding and utensils required for opening Rest Centres. Apparently, the Emergency Feeding equipment needed a “great deal of de-greasing”. Later on Monday, reconnaissance vehicles were sent out and a Rest Centre established.

The floods began to subside from Wednesday 7^th and requests for materials to start the mopping up operations came pouring in with C.D. vehicles delivering where they could. They also took food in containers to houses that were still cut off by the water.

The Rescue sections transported sandbags to block a breach in the river bank and provided muscle and floodlighting so they and the workers of the River Board could keep at the job through the night.

Although they were called in to action very late, the Civil Defence Corps received much praise from MPs, local councils, the Womens’ Institutes and numerous individuals who all acknowledged that the training of the C.D.C. was of great value in peacetime emergencies as well as in time of war. The C.D.C. was placed higher on the “call out list” for any future incidents.

Postscript:

After doing voluntary work (mainly chopping firewood for affected families) with the C.D. during the floods, the Hereford C.D.C invited members of the Nansen Club to a Rescue Section exercise day. The club which was for senior boys & Old Boys of Hereford High School had already trained for mountain rescue in the Brecon Beacons, Snowdonia and Norway. Later in the day, several of the older boys asked to enrol in the C.D.C as the Rescue Section's work was so similar to their existing training.

4^th Dec. Derbyshire

 Ilkeston, Derbyshire, December 1960

On Sunday, 4^th December, Derbyshire Police requested assistance from the C.D.C. in the draining of houses and removal of furniture from areas that were flooding. Two Rescue parties from Heanor and Clay Cross were sent and by nightfall, the situation was under control.

The following day, the C.D.C was asked to help evacuate twenty-nine flooded houses in Ilkeston  The fifty or so occupants were taken to the Welcome Hall which had been equipped by the Welfare section / WVS as a Rest Centre providing hot meals and overnight accommodation. With help fro the British Red Cross Society, clothing and other necessities were also available.

The R.A.F. brought several house drying units and they ran all night under floodlighting supplied by the C.D. Rescue section. They then moved from place to place continuing their drying work. The C.D. centre at Shardlow was opened up to give dormitory space and meals (via the Welfare section) for the R.A.F. personnel helping with the clean up operations over the week.

 

4^th - 5^th Dec. Cardiff & South Wales.

Double-decker bus driving through floods near Cardiff, December 1960

This link leads to a British Film Institute clip showing the flooding and damage in the Taff & Rhondda Valleys. There is a brief part, around the 5 mins 30 mark that shows AFS & Police using a “bikini”boat.

Whilst these floods are listed in the Civil Defence Volunteers Pocket Book (1962) as one of the peacetime operations of the Civil Defence Corps, I haven’t yet found much information on what they actually did in South Wales. That they definitely contributed significantly in dealing with the problem is borne out by the comments in Parliament below.

During the debate, on the flooding, in Parliament on 15th December 1960, Mr Henry Brooke MP for Hampstead and both Minister for Welsh Affairs and Minister of Housing and Local Government said:

…But, of course, when the tragedy of floods comes the local authority has to co-ordinate the relief work. I should like to pay tribute, and I know that I can do so in the name of the whole House, to local authorities and their welfare services, to the police, the fire service, the Civil Defence service, and to the Service Departments, which, in some cases, have been extremely helpful in rushing equipment to the spot, and to all voluntary organisations, the Women's Voluntary Service, first and foremost, and to many others, including the Salvation Army. Everybody who has been available has come in to help. It has been a most remarkable tribute to the resourcefulness and readiness of the British people, without many orders, to come and act in co-operation and get on with the job when there are people needing to be helped.

 

Sources:

Montgomeryshire Floods:

Civil Defence magazine Vol. 13 No.2 February 1961

Hansard HC Deb 15 December 1960 vol 632 cc607-70

Hereford Floods:

Photographs from Herefordshire History

Civil Defence magazine Vol. 13 No.2 February 1961

Civil Defence magazine Vol. 13 No.5 May 1961

 Derbyshire Floods:

Civil Defence magazine Vol. 13 No.2 February 1961

Cardiff Floods:

Civil Defence Volunteers Pocket Book, printed by the Middlesex Division, 1962.

Hansard HC Deb 15 December 1960 vol 632 cc607-70

The Civil Defence Corps and the Floods of 1960 - Part One, Autumn.

The Civil Defence Corps and the Floods of 1960 - Part One, Autumn.

The Autumn and Winter of 1960 were the wettest on record (at the time) for several parts of Britain. There was significant flooding and very damaging flash floods across the country. Devon, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Wales and the Welsh Marches were particularly badly affected.

As part of the emergency response in these places, the various parts of Civil Defence stepped up to help.

 30^th Sept.- 3^rd Oct.  Devon

A vast lake at Collumpton, Devon floods 1960

This widespread flood destroyed several properties and made over 1,400 people temporarily homeless. At least 1,500 telephone lines were down and some railway bridges were severely damaged.

The Women’s Voluntary Service set up rest centres and provided tea and two hot meals a day for around 1,000 people of the homeless and 50 Firemen. This work continued for some time afterwards at Exmouth, Crediton and Axmouth.  They also gave out stock of clothing taken to the affected area. Members of the W.V.S. and C.D.C checked up on local people and made sure that any requests for assistance were passed on to those that could provide it.

The Fire Service and Auxiliary Fire Service used 'Bikini' transportable water units and dinghies to rescue people from floods and collapsed houses.  

 

7^th - 11^th Oct. Horncastle, Lincolnshire.

 Centre of Horncastle, October 1960.

On Friday 7^th October, the official figure, for rainfall in Horncastle was 7.24in (183mm) in the six hours between 11.00am and 5.00pm. Today in 2020, the Meteorological Office states that the town still holds the UK record for "highest 180-minute total" rainfall of 178 mm, measured on that day in 1960.

The Chief Constable of Lincolnshire, set up an emergency HQ in the town. He assembled 14 fire appliances, including some from neighbouring Fire Brigades, 2 “bikini”raft units and other support vehicles.

C.D. Rest Centres were established at Holmleigh on Spilsby Rd and The Drill Hall on Boston Road. Bowl Alley Lane School became a feeding centre staffed by the W.V.S. and Civil Defence Welfare,for the volunteers that came to assist in the emergency.

The week before, the Civil Defence Corps had made a recruitment drive in the town. Their vehicles returned to the town to help with the situation and bring bedding, clothing and food for the affected population.

Lincoln City C.D.C.provided a radio net and link to sub-area control at Lincoln.   Wireless communications were set up for a 24 hour watch on key points of local rivers. The Lincoln Rescue Section played their part in helping flood victims, with the Ambulance Section standing by if required. Various detachments from across Lindsey took part.

Sadly as the water receded, the body of Mr Frederick Holmes (aged 70) was found. He had drowned after being hit by a large shed and trapped near Stonewell Row, Horncastle.

During a debate, on the flooding, in Parliament on 15th December 1960, Sir John Maitland MP for Horncastle said:

….and the tragedy would have been much greater had it not been—so many hon. Members have said this—for the magnificent work of the local authority, the Civil Defence, the police and all concerned. It was a magnificent team job, and I am proud to represent people of that sort in this House.

The Civil Defence people were quite magnificent. They were on the spot in under two hours after the floods had occurred, with the rest of the team, although there was, of course, no warning. Horncastle is quite a small town, with a population of about 4,000 people, yet the whole of our Civil Defence services were engaged in coping with this disaster. They were able to cope with it and to do their job well, but it is not something to be too pleased about when we think that Horncastle is only one small town in the very large area which those services have to cover. It indicates both the value of the Civil Defence services and the need to strengthen and improve them.

 

27^th & 28^th Oct. Exeter

For the month leading up to 27^th October 1960, the Exeter area had received  15.69 inches (398mm) of rain in 30 days. On the 25^th and 26^th October, 2.36 inches (60mm) of rain fell. This means that further 12,800,000,000 gallons (2,813,186,813 litres) fell in the River Exe catchment area in just 48 hours.

A decision was made that the Civil Defence services of the Exeter Division should be not be deployed and they were allocated to a role as reserves for the Local Authority services which were thought to be adequate for the situation.  

By 3.00pm on the 27^th October, the river levels had already reached over five feet in streets of the St. Thomas area of the city. The telephone lines from this part of Exeter were also cut by the water.

As the situation worsened, the C.D. had not been called but their headquarters decided to send out a Reconnaissance landrover to see if help was needed and “Show the C.D. flag”. This vehicle met the City Surveyor (the Controller-designate for the Exeter sub-area) and he joined them, realising that the C.D. communications were of great value in the situation.

By 6.30pm, after a meeting at the C.D. HQ, with the Town Clerk, the C.D.C. undertook to make a continuous reconnaissance with wireless equipped vehicles.

They were briefed to:

1. Contact all the services working in the area. (Police, Fire, Military etc).

2. Contact all officials ans their parties.

3. Look out for persons in need of rescue.

4. Look out for dangerous structures etc. And to report back all items of interest or importance, all requests for help or equipment, the conditions of the roads, depth of the flood water etc.

The message received at C.D. HQ were then sent by ‘phone to the Information Centre set up at the Police HQ.

By midnight on the 27^th, the water was subsiding but assistance was still required. A C.D. Signal Office vehicle with wireless transmitter was set up at a “sub-Information Centre in the flood area to help with communications to the main Centre.  C.D. Signals also helped install extra ‘phone lines at the Centre too.  C.D. equipment vans and ambulances were used to ferry mattresses and furniture to and from the local Gas Works as part of the Emergency Washing and Drying Service.

Three Rest Centres opened and emergency feeding operations put in hand. These provided support to the homeless and emergency workers but due to the “Good Neighbour” spirit of the area, only 15 people needed overnight accommodation.

Sources:

Devon Floods:  

Some information and photo from this post on the Not A Lot Of People Know That blog which has details of a copy of a Booklet “Devon Flood Story 1960” which provides more information.

Civil Defence Volunteers Pocket Book, printed by the Middlesex Division, 1962.

Horncastle Floods:

The Horncastle Holyday blog page on the Flood of 1960

Civil Defence magazine Vol. 13 No.1 January 1961

Civil Defence Volunteers Pocket Book, printed by the Middlesex Division, 1962.

Hansard HC Deb 15 December 1960 vol 632 cc607-70

Exeter Floods:   

Civil Defence magazine Vol. 12 No.12 December 1960

Civil Defence Volunteers Pocket Book, printed by the Middlesex Division, 1962.