The day the River Humber froze over: Remembering one of Hull's harshest winters
East Yorkshire was gripped by snow and ice two years ago but 1947 remain one of the worst winters in recent memory. Reporter James Campbell looks back ...
THE war had only just come to the end and people were trying to return to normality.
No stranger to hardship, even the toughest of folk struggled to cope with the long, harsh and bitter winter of 1947.
It all began on January 26 when 2in of snow fell in the Wolds villages.
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Down south, the Thames had frozen over and then two and a half inches fell on Hull, sparking 400 men into action to clear the roads.
The cold snap lasted right through until early March.
While all parts of East Yorkshire suffered, the biggest drama was unfolding at Huggate, near Driffield, one of the highest points in the county.
Cottages in the village were completely covered by snow and only the top of telephone masts were visible, such was the depth of the drifts.
Mr W B Megginson told the Mail at the time that his home was surrounded by 20ft drifts.
He said: "I've never seen anything like this before. We are usually left with a clear way across the fields but this time everything is filled up."
As is often the case in such circumstances, community spirit came to the fore.
Local councillor Edward Munby said: "The men folk are doing their bit digging.
"The women are co-operating along the line.
"If one has a little extra of something she passes it on to her neighbour."
In the end, the situation was so bad, food parcels had to be delivered to the village by plane and with the help of mountain rescue teams.
The backdrop to the harsh winter was rationing and a fuel crisis. Coal could not get through to Hull and other cities which proved a double whammy as people struggled to heat their homes in sub-zero temperatures.
On February 2, 1947, a trip to the panto in Leeds turned into a traumatic and frightening night.
Three bus loads of people from Hull, mainly women and children, were stranded in the snow.
A total of 73 people waited for help but eventually had crossed the fields of deep snow to reach North Newbald.
Doris Smith was one of those on the trip.
At the time, she said: "We made ourselves cosy for the night and sang songs before dozing off."
There seemed to be no end to the icy grip.
In Hull, the number of people clearing snow had risen to 1,400 men along with 150 vehicles and 12 snow ploughs.
The cost of keeping the city clear of snow each day reached a staggering £1,500 – the equivalent of about £50,000 in today's money.
Many villages in the Wolds faced days without power, such as Sancton.
On several occasions during the cold snap, nearly 10in of snow fell across the region.
Despite the problems, no schools in Hull closed although attendances were unsurprisingly down.
Black-outs were a common occurrence during this time and power cuts became increasingly common.
The coal shortage became a national emergency and Hull had to use its resources sparingly.
Ships in the Humber had to watch out for pack ice and navigate with extreme caution.
Just as it looked like the worst was over, a huge blizzard struck the country again on February 26.
Four inches fell in Hull and traffic once more ground to a halt.
The Mail even campaigned for the council to use flame throwers to clear the snow.
The winter of 1947 is etched in the memory of Hull City Councillor Terry Geraghty.
He said: "I remember that winter like it was yesterday. It was horrific.
"I lived off Beverley Road and we were totally snowed in.
"The initial snowfall happened so quickly.
"We were just getting over the war when it happened. There was no gas or central heating in our homes so we had to have a bonfire in the living room.
"We ended up burning our shoes and anything we could find just to keep warm and we never took our coats off.
"All the streets were piled up with snow.
"You have to remember, we all had outhouses for toilets and they were all frozen.
"There was a lot of misery and the snow hung around until May/June.
"But everyone just got on with it. No one felt sorry for themselves."
But, as a teenager at the time, it wasn't all doom and gloom.
Mr Geraghty said: "We had snowball fights and had fun sliding down the streets.
"We also played football in the snow at the bomb sites which became our playground."
Comments
by unified
Saturday, December 22 2012, 6:15PM
“I know ths will upset some of those who cant stand anything not British, but in 1947, Germany was in a terrible state, its coal mines having been destroyed, and we, Great Britain, sent them coal because they where freezing. No taking to the airwaves asking for the German children to be allowed to freeze because they were the enemy and it was their fault.
Can you imagine the screams of hatred if some of those writing on these pages were asked to comment on that little treasure of good will.
I can just imagine their hatred flowing out from some of you. And remember, these people allowing it were the soldiers and families of those who had just been fighting them.”
by unified
Saturday, December 22 2012, 5:58PM
“Goldie boy. of course climate changes, it always has done, it the speeding up of the natural process thats the problem.
Nature has time to adapt when left to its own devices, speed it up and this is what you get.
If you dont think climate change has not sped up, then rest in you peace and lets hope you die before the worst of it comes, I hope i do.”
by scarter65
Monday, December 17 2012, 2:41PM
“Goldieboy - it's CLIMATE CHANE, not necessarily warming, you completely ignorant re-t a r d. For instance if temperatures rise enough around the Arctic, the global circulation of water changes. This could effect the gulf stream which is the only thing keeping our country warm. Take it away and we would have a climate comparable with places of a similar latitude in Russia or Alaska! Seriously, people like you should take a minute to get a basic understanding of what it is you're talking about before spewing your bilge all over the internet, people might believe you then we're all screwed.
Look it up fool.”
by Goldieboy
Monday, December 17 2012, 1:45PM
“Just goes to show that all these alarmist talk today of climate change, global warming, call it what you will, is just a crock of shirt. It's just another means to extract more taxes from us. Mother Nature will always have the last word, the world changes, we don't make a darned bit of difference, so get real you green idiots and get burning those tyres. Here's to a decent summer.”
by Goldieboy
Monday, December 17 2012, 1:41PM
“Of course, it would all be down to climate change after all the pollution of the war and so people would have to recycle their paper bags....
Of course burning shoes and anything else that they could find to keep themselves warm would be the cause of why we have such 'extreme' weather these days, all that pollution causing greenhouse gas...and climate change..
Of course all those vehicles on the road at once would cause so much particulate pollution and all those bomb sites with their exposed asbestos... that's why we get such severe unseasonable weather these days... climate change..
That's why climate change is a load of rubbish...
The world changes, these things happen, get real all you green idiots, Mother Nature has the last word, we don't make an 'aporth of difference, so get burning those tyres and let's have a decent summer!”
by EducatedSage
Monday, December 17 2012, 11:33AM
“Editor
The "Riverman" of 1947 was a steam powered vessel which was scrapped in 1948.
The vessel pictured is a diesel powered vessel built in Hull by the Drypool Engineering & Dry Dock Co Ltd in 1963 and sold by United Towing Co Ltd in 1974.”
by MimiTheDJ
Monday, December 17 2012, 12:40AM
“....and John1947 was just being born, aaaah!”
by dellboy1959
Sunday, December 16 2012, 11:00PM
“@ mewho,
It doesn't matter if you have one or a thousand freezers in your house or any other appliance that works on electikery,if there's a power cut they don't work end of.
And that goes for your gas supply aswell,think it through.”
by Mildred
Sunday, December 16 2012, 8:39PM
“As for community spirit... I think you would be surprised.
I lived in Cottingham in 2010, and in November when it snowed, for the first time in the five years I had lived there, everyone came out of their houses together, worked together clearing the street of ice and snow, had a snowball fight together, and learned each others' names!!
I have family who live in a very remote area of Scotland. They have a few neighbours: a holiday cottage, another farmhouse (3 miles away) and a shooting lodge. Yet, when they get adverse weather, people do rally around, the richer ones getting their suitable vehicles out, and everyone else just coping the best they can... mind you up there, a poor man's series Landrover is the best tool you can get!”
by Mildred
Sunday, December 16 2012, 8:30PM
“People weren't so paranoid about money-grabbing compo-seekers in those days!
These days if there is any chance a parent could blame the school for little Jimmy's sniffle and get a few quid, via Neil Hudgell, then the schools will - rightly - cover their own backsides!”