Friday, January 12, 2018

Yes I Remember This Winter 1962 - 1963 UK The Big Freeze

Hi Dear Folk,

I was watching Call The Midwife the XMAS 1962 episode,  depicting the terrible snowstorms that hit the UK I remember that winter.  The lack of daily milk delivery, and if you did receive it the top was all popped off because it froze, the country just shut down. We had a solid fuel Rayburn in the kitchen and we just huddled up. As a child it was great fun, I do remember wrapping up including welly boots and layers of socks and going out to play and having snow ball fights and sledding.

Not so good for my dad he worked for the Eastern Gas Board and he was out on call day and night. Somehow he kept a heater under his lorry just to get it started for call out.  He would have been 35 years old then. My dear dad.

It was terrible though, people died and many animals had to be fed from the air.  Shortages of food, especially fresh food in the shops.  Burst pipes, no water, no gas, no electric.  Cars and trains stuck in snow drifts.  For a child most importantly no school.

You might enjoy this to go along with Call The Midwife.  A must watch to see how very bad it was.  Cliff Michelmore was the news reporter of my childhood.

6 comments:

  1. Haha! Yes we watched that programme too and I do remember that winter as I was 12 years old and in the school holidays my friend G and I asked the baker delivery man if we could help him on his round. We didn't expect to be paid but we wanted to be out in the exciting snow. No health and safety then so we sat on the back of the van with our legs dangling and had to help push it out of the snow. I don't remember there being no milk deliveries but do remember the frozen milk pushing the foil caps off the bottles. After the holidays we went back to school - no closures for us. The baker paid us in bars of delicious co-op chocolate. Happy days. I will finish watching the video later so thanks for that.

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    1. Thanks for your memories I think that is a great story. Did get to do fun things because of no red tape.

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  2. I am a great fan of Call the Midwife and indeed watch that programme highlighting the despair of the weather. My younger brother was born that Winter so my dear Mum has lots of tales to tell.

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  3. I lived there that winter and do not remember the shortages! We may have had things at the air base and my dad worked at the commissary so may have brought milk home? We usually did get it delivered though.

    This season looks really good on Call the Midwife!

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  4. I watched that programme too and I don't remember that winter at all. :-(

    How I wish I had total recall...

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  5. Hello there - catching up with blogs that have slipped under the radar recently.
    I certainty remember that winter - giving birth on February 1st in a rather cool bedroom. That little babe will be 55 in a couple of weeks. Not that she'd admit to it lol
    Take care
    Cathy


    Cathy @ Still Waters






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