THE GREAT FLOOD of 1968 50Th Anniversary Special Edition
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THE East BriWstol & NoErth EaEst SomK erset IN THE GREAT FLOOD OF 1968 50th Anniversary Special Edition Dapps Hill bridge It had not been a very good over six hours on ground that was afternoon at the Winford Brook and down to the next bridge. summer. By July 1968, fields already sodden – more than four Chew Stoke Stream which join the Next in the firing line were across the countryside of Devon times the average monthly total. River Chew at Chew Magna. Pensford, Publow, Woollard, and Somerset were already There were eyewitness reports of Contrary to rumours which Compton Dando and Chewton saturated by weeks of unseasonal ‘sheet run-off’ from fields and ‘tidal circulated shortly after the disaster, Keynsham. At Pensford, the A37 rain. It was about to get a whole waves’ of water following bridge Chew Valley Reservoir was not road bridge was submerged and then lot worse. collapses along the normally overtopped but the sheer volume of swept away, cutting the village in Rain had been falling for much of tranquil River Chew. The water on these two tributaries two. Bizarrely, the bridge at the day on Wednesday 10th July as a consequences were widespread overwhelmed the village of Chew Compton Dando withstood the storm tracked its way from Brittany devastation and near apocalyptic Magna. Accounts of ‘tidal waves’ onslaught and, along with Chewton towards Lincolnshire and then scenes in many areas. Eight people were in fact a consequence of Keynsham, suffered comparatively ultimately the Netherlands. As it hit lost their lives, 11 bridges in ‘damming’ at bridges like the one little flood damage. the South West coast, it increased Somerset were swept away and over Winford Brook. Built on But if that was a mercy, the same dramatically in intensity during the hundreds of people found their parapets, they collected much of the could not be said about Keynsham. afternoon and evening, provoking homes demolished or severely trees and debris and acted as a dam Dapps Hill, Bath Hill, Avon Mill thunder storms across East Devon damaged as flood levels reached as to the rising water until such time as Lane and the historic County Bridge and Somerset. 175mm (6.8in) of high as 5.5m (18ft). they could withstand no more – rain fell in the Chew Valley in just The problems began in late allowing a wall of water to cascade Continued on next page A night that changed lives forever The devastation in the Memorial Park in Keynsham Continued from front cover Brislington Square, where passengers had to be rescued from a double-decker bus by boat. all fell victim to the torrent while tragedy Much of Bristol suffered from drains and struck with three of the four occupanCtasr so sf ua bmerged in the River Chew gutters which couldn’t cope with the volumes car dying after it was swept off the Bath Hill of water or small brooks which overflowed. bridge. Properties adjacent to the bridge were Bedminster was virtually a lake and the Wills flooded to over six feet while residents of tobacco factory suffered severe damage and a cottages in Dapps Hill had to be rescued from loss of stock. Hartcliffe was the scene of their roofs in many cases. another fatality that night. A 30-year-old man The River Avon suffered similar problems as Cars submerged in the River Chew was swept away while trying to help two tributaries overflowed. Factory workers in passengers in a stranded car. Bitton had to be rescued from the roof while Further afield, large parts of East Devon were the River Boyd swept away the parapet of the effectively cut off as bridges were swept bridge at Kings Square. The Warmley Brook away. This was high summer and in an era smashed through Willsbridge Mill, sweeping before motorways, the A30 was the main cars out of the Queens Head car park trunk road between London and the West opposite. Brislington Brook became a torrent, Country. Cars submerged in the River Chew flooding much of the low-lying areas and This supplement has been made possible by the contributions of stories and pictures by many individuals who remember 10th July 1968. We are also grateful to the Russell Leitch photo collection, Bitton Local History Group and the Keynsham & Saltford Local History Society, in particular Donald Ogg, for their assistance. We also acknowledge the role played by Terry Staples’ book, The Great Flood of ‘68 which brought together reports, personal testimony and newspaper cuttings from the time. In his introduction he admitted that he only wrote it after realising so many years after the event, that nobody else had done so. As a result, he preserved for history a record of the horror and the bravery of that time. The book is long out of print but copies can still be found at specialist second-hand retailers. Shortly after his death almost a decade ago, his family found one last box of 50 or so unsold copies in his attic. At the time, The Week In helped former Keynsham fireman Mike Portlock, one of only two remaining from the 1968 crew, to sell them, with proceeds going to the Fire Brigrade Benevolent Fund. in 2 The Week • The Great Flood Supplement - 11th July 2018 A night that changed lives forever Les Baker, who was a reporter based in Keynsham at the time, shares his memories of the Great Flood Wednesday July 10 was a fairly one rope around his waist and a normal day as district reporter of spare to attach to the car as the the Bath Chronicle and Keynsham firemen pulled the other end. He Weekly Chronicle at the branch got within three feet of the car office in Temple Street. when a sudden surge of water It rained all day and continued into swept it away towards the river. the evening. At the end of my day The young man who had been at shift, I went home to tea in the wheel was found in the park by Kingswood because there was a the RAF who dropped a dinghy to council committee meeting in the him. The bodies of his girlfriend evening. On the journey back to and his parents were missing. His Keynsham the rain became heavier mother’s body was recovered from but the meeting went ahead as the Avon at Hanham a fortnight normal. later and that of his father at Around 8.30pm the council Avonmouth. About two years later surveyor Fred Bryan had a I was at Keynsham police station telephone call and left the meeting, when I was asked to go to a back I realised that something was up room where a muddy blue handbag Les Baker and left too. By this time, the fire and contents were on the table. brigade opposite my office had This had been found by workmen office was turned into an “Right Mr Reporter, do you think it gone down to St Georges Road to clearing silt in the river by Avon information point and also is safe to walk across there?” I said deal with some minor flooding. I Mill Lane bridge. received furniture and other stuff I was willing to have a go with checked the ground floor of my Returning home to Kingswood on to help affected families. George him. We picked our way around office because rainwater tended to the night of the flood, I drove Ashton, council clerk, set up a the holes in the road surface, with come in from the rear garden and I along Station Road towards the North Somerset Flood Relief Fund the river running below, and got moved my newspaper files to a dry river and upon reaching the for the victims over a wide area. back safely. I did not realise that spot. County Bridge I managed to drive Workers at Fry’s helped dry out his security man and CI David I heard there were problems on across despite the blinding rain. As carpets in their boiler rooms and Shattock were watching. Bath Hill Bridge and found the I drove over it I saw a large top also handed out free chocolate to The next day I went to the police firemen trying to reach a car stone disappearing into the river rescue workers and Army station as usual to be met by a very stranded in the middle with four but the bridge remained intact at engineers building the Bailey angry Mr Shattock who accused people inside. Parapets of the that point. When I returned to bridges. me of putting the Duke’s life in bridge had gone and floodwater Keynsham early the next day, the When the Duke of Edinburgh danger. I let him rant on for a few was pouring across the road. bridge had almost disappeared and visited Keynsham a few days later minutes and then asked if I could Because of the strength of the flow, I had to make a detour via Bath. I had an amusing incident with him say something. I said: “When you they were unable to get a rope to At the police conference I was told as he stood with other dignitaries have come down off the wall, there the vehicle until Wilf Snook, that police officer Mike Hedges on Bath Hill, inspecting the is one point you have missed, landlord of the Trout, volunteered had rescued stranded families at damage. I was standing on the David.” I told him I agreed it was a to give a go because of his weight. Dapps Hill and he later received a edge of the damaged bridge when I stupid thing to do, but it was not Wilf waded across to the car with bravery award.