View Full Version : Storms over the years
Hello from upstate Pennsylvania. I live near Oswego, New York State, which has had 122.5 inches of snow in eight days. It brought to mind living in Milton in the late 50's, and being unable to go to school because of the snow. Great Days, we used to sled Milton Hill until the sand trucks came through, then used to stand there and Boo them!!
lynne duncan
14-Feb-07, 19:41
any chance you could blow a wee droppie over, our bairns are lucky if they see 12inches of snow let alone that amount
122.5 inches?:eek:
Now that is what I call a snow storm. But I bet things didn't grind to a (complete) halt like here over 1.2 inches.....
Yes MadPict at least 122 inches. The pictures coming out of that area are unbelievable. The whole place is shut down.
I have just finished digging out here, but it is nothing compared to the snow on the south side of Lakes Ontario and Erie. It has been so warm this winter that the water didn't freeze on the lakes so when the frigid air did finally arrive it sucked up tons of moisture and dumped it as snow as soon as it hit land.
It feels like minus 25 with the wind chill so we aren't talking global warming today.
I hope that you getting in some tobogganing Joefitz.
did you live in milton or where and who was your neighbours
I remember in Wick in the early 1950s - maybe 1952 - we went to church one bright Sunday morning and after an hour when they went to open the doors of Bridge Street church, they were faced with a wall of snow higher than the door. We had to wait inside until some men had dug enough snow away so that we could get out and try to make our way home through thick falling snow.
No phones of course, so our families were all quite anxious about us.
In Devon in 1960 more than a foot of snow fell in a short time and my husband came across a stranded Bus with no less than Worcester City Football team on their way to play a match. My husband drove a few of the team to the nearest Hotel and telephone and in due course they were rescued.
Then in Bristol in 1962 we had a heavy fall of snow which lay around for more than a month. My neighbour's water pipes were frozen from December till Easter !! They came to me each day with several buckets to fill !!
Happy days !
Trinkie.
changilass
14-Feb-07, 22:03
I remember working in a pub in Leeds in the 80's and the draymen couldnt get through cos of the snow, we were fast running out of ale when the snow finally cleared only to have a draymans strike needless to say we had a pub with no beer. The place was still packed, the landlord allowed the locals to bring their own and tea and coffe and sandwiches were all provided. It was great fun:lol:
North Rhins
14-Feb-07, 22:43
West Pennines in the early sixties. Good Friday picture of my Dad in shirt sleeve uniform sat on his trusty Police Triumph speed twin. On the same roll of film, Easter Monday 12 foot snow drifts. The local council had just bought a Swedish snow blower, yep, you’ve got it, it got stuck!
I remember in Wick in the early 1950s - maybe 1952 - we went to church one bright Sunday morning and after an hour when they went to open the doors of Bridge Street church, they were faced with a wall of snow higher than the door. We had to wait inside until some men had dug enough snow away so that we could get out and try to make our way home through thick falling snow.
No phones of course, so our families were all quite anxious about us.
In Devon in 1960 more than a foot of snow fell in a short time and my husband came across a stranded Bus with no less than Worcester City Football team on their way to play a match. My husband drove a few of the team to the nearest Hotel and telephone and in due course they were rescued.
Then in Bristol in 1962 we had a heavy fall of snow which lay around for more than a month. My neighbour's water pipes were frozen from December till Easter !! They came to me each day with several buckets to fill !!
Happy days !
Trinkie.
yea. i recall that one ,was,nt that operation snowdrop or something they had to take helecopters in to drop food & stuff to the outlying farms and houses. we had a great time ,what with being off school and the fun we had with the snow. would,nt like it now though?.:eek:
I know a mannie that was stuck on the train during 'snowdrop' told me all about it, wild. I've been snowed in for 3 days, that's the longest. Really frustrating.Also been caught in 2 'blin drifts' pretty heart stopping stuff! Other than that I love the snow.
did you live in milton or where and who was your neighbours
Parkie, I used to go to Eck rendall's for 10 player cigarettes for my dad, and hoped I had sixpence left to get sweeties and we used to stand beneath the street light and talk..........
Parkie, I used to go to Eck rendall's for 10 player cigarettes for my dad, and hoped I had sixpence left to get sweeties and we used to stand beneath the street light and talk..........
And I think your dad was a teacher in the High School
scunner, yes, he was, remember Dot and dash....she was the Cookery teacher???
scunner, yes, he was, remember Dot and dash....she was the Cookery teacher???
Who could forget her !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Parkie, I used to go to Eck rendall's for 10 player cigarettes for my dad, and hoped I had sixpence left to get sweeties and we used to stand beneath the street light and talk..........next door to the rendall,s lived addie harper he played in a scottish dance band,cheers
south view 7
15-Feb-07, 22:54
yea. i recall that one ,was,nt that operation snowdrop or something they had to take helecopters in to drop food & stuff to the outlying farms and houses. we had a great time ,what with being off school and the fun we had with the snow. would,nt like it now though?.:eek:
operation snowdrop was 1955,and it started on a schoolday,i remember walking from willowbank to the high school after dinner in "blindrift" only to be told to go home as the school was closeing,and i remember the country pupils had to stay in wick that night as the buses were not going anywhere.the day"s when men were men and the snow was six feet deep.......
highlander
15-Feb-07, 23:07
Here is a link to some pictures of operation snowdrop
http://www.britishpathe.com/product_display.php?searchword=operation+snowdrop
highlander
15-Feb-07, 23:15
And a few more for you
http://www.internet-promotions.co.uk/archives/dounreay/doun4.htm
http://heritage.scotsman.com/videos.cfm?vid=259
Tom Cornwall
17-Feb-07, 02:00
in operation snowdrop in 1955, we lived in the Borgue and were blocked in for 3 months. We had the helicopters landing in our front garden with food supplies and the Dunbeath bobbie was airlifted in to hand them out to our neighbours.
Bill Fernie
17-Feb-07, 09:44
Here are a couple of photos from the Caithness 1955 Big Snow
http://www.caithness.org/earlypictures/photogallery/thumbs.htm?0?13
Tom Cornwall, I remember it well. The Helicopters used to land in the field where you have Homebase now.
In true Wick fashion, did we not call the Helicopters ... Help-e-crofters?
In the height of that storm we dug a tunnel to our chums across the street !
And I bought some rather dashing snow boots to wear over my shoes ! Quite useless but bonnie !!
Here are a couple of photos from the Caithness 1955 Big Snow
http://www.caithness.org/earlypictures/photogallery/thumbs.htm?0?13
Wow Bill, that brings back memories! I remember the snow towering above us kids and the men digging out the roads block by block and they kept teasing us that they would soon get us back to school!
We watched with envy as a helicopter delivering food to my grannie and grandad and their neighbours a few miles away. Also feed for the animals. We were disappointed that it wouldn't be landing at our place as my father managed to walk a couple of miles for supplies from the local shop; well those that could be got.
An exciting time for us kids and not too worrying for our parents as we had the stove, tilley lamp and primus stove. I think the farmers had it hardest as it was heart breaking digging out the sheep that had perished in the drifts. So difficult to know where they were.
next door to the rendall,s lived addie harper he played in a scottish dance band,cheers
Parkie, I'd already PMd joefitz but only just now looked back at the thread. :confused
I lived at Milton for a while up to 1957 with my aunt & uncle Essie & Sandy Bruce -8 Weir Crescent, between the Carters and the Falconers. I was just one term at the North School when my Mum and I moved down to Edinburgh, but I still went back for all the school holidays for several years.
I'd forgotten the Rendalls until now, but I do remember the Harpers. Addy Harper still does play in a band doesn't he? His first wife Minola was Spanish and used to make rice wine, it seemed very exotic when we went to visit.:)
I also remember the Coghills round the corner, I think our gardens backed onto each other.
My uncle worked for the council driving lorries and snowploughs -we never knew when he'd get home when there was a lot of snow. I seem to remember the peat-fired Esse stove in the kitchen kept us pretty warm though!
I'm afraid Addy Harper Snr is no longer with us but his son Addy Jnr., is very much to the fore in the music business in Caithness and else where. A very talented young man indeed.
I'm afraid Addy Harper Snr is no longer with us but his son Addy Jnr., is very much to the fore in the music business in Caithness and else where. A very talented young man indeed.
Torvaig,
Thanks for letting me know about that.
I'm trying (without success so far) to remember the other members of the original band.
I was only a wee girl at the time and it all seemed very glamorous!:lol:
To return to the snow topic, does anyone remember if it was 1979 there was a lot of snow and the train from Inverness got stuck on the way to Wick?
My Mum had come down for a visit and couldn't get home again for three weeks :~(
I dunno about 1979 but 1978 had a serious fall of snow. The train was blocked in for a number of days and the electricity was off for a while too. I think it was that year when 3 people were killed at the Ord when their cars were buried under 15 foot snow drifts. One man survived after being buried for a few days.
yea. i recall that one ,was,nt that operation snowdrop or something they had to take helecopters in to drop food & stuff to the outlying farms and houses. we had a great time ,what with being off school and the fun we had with the snow. would,nt like it now though?.:eek:
I remember being taken to the 'drome by my Dad to watch the helicopters.
It was so stormy one got blown against the hanger door when trying to take off.
For years I had a piece of shattered rotor blade as a momento.
JimBews
Angela, if you follow this link you will get all the names involved with the Wick Scottish Dance Band. Makes for interesting reading and tells you what young Addie is up to these days. Enjoy.
http://www.addieharper.com/index.htm
highlander
17-Feb-07, 16:50
Not sure is this is the year that gleeber is talking about, i remember the man who worked for slones in wick, he was a sales rep, and as he was stuck in the snow he put on the ladys tights he sold, this is what saved his live.
That's him. He also had some kind of hollow tubes which he poked up to the surface for fresh air.
It was the first Saturday ( 4th I think) in February 1978 that the people lost their lives on the Ord of Caithness.
It was the first Saturday ( 4th I think) in February 1978 that the people lost their lives on the Ord of Caithness.
I knew it was after 1977 (the year my son was born) but had lost track after that :confused
We had a lot of snow in Edinburgh that winter (yes, really) but nothing in comparison to further north.
I remember it was a Saturday. Not sure how but I was working in Orkney at the time. The mainland had no electricity for a few days but Orkney had its own power station so we never felt the brunt of the storm.
I remember listening to the police radio and hearing the despair in the voices of the people trying to source long enough probes to find the people trapped in their cars which were submerged. They also wanted to divert one of the helicopters carrying some of the media to help with the rescue of these people but seemingly the stranded train was much more interesting because you could see part of it; much better story.[disgust]
I remember it was a Saturday.
It was the last Saturday in January 1978- Jan 28th but it went on into the Sunday until around lunchtime before abatting. It was the higher ground and inland that was hit the worst. If memory serves me Wick had rain and sleet whilst places like the Borgue had drifts the height of a house side and of course the train went AWOL between Forsinard and Atnabreac or thereabouts.
south view 7
17-Feb-07, 22:29
And a few more for you
http://www.internet-promotions.co.uk/archives/dounreay/doun4.htm
http://heritage.scotsman.com/videos.cfm?vid=259
thank"s for that highlander.........
Not sure is this is the year that gleeber is talking about, i remember the man who worked for slones in wick, he was a sales rep, and as he was stuck in the snow he put on the ladys tights he sold, this is what saved his live.
Aye that was Billy Sutherland, he and his brother Anton lived in the old toll house in Robert street. I think my neighbour Rex Watt the [AA man] survived that storm as well,
Nothing can be worse than being at sea during a Storm.
In February 1864 a fishing boat from Sarclet failed to return to safety
because of horrendous seas rendering the harbour entrance all but impossible.
John Miller left a widow and a large family
Andrew Miller left a widow and 7 children
Archibald Miller left a widow and 4 children
Peter Gunn left a widow and 4 children
Alexander Miller unmarried
Alexander Bremner unmarried
John Miller unmarried.
One of many such tragedies during storms in northern waters.
operation snowdrop was 1955,and it started on a schoolday,i remember walking from willowbank to the high school after dinner in "blindrift" only to be told to go home as the school was closeing,and i remember the country pupils had to stay in wick that night as the buses were not going anywhere.the day"s when men were men and the snow was six feet deep.......
aye yer right my memory is going, must be old age.[lol]
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