The
 Simply Whitstable
 Web Site

THE NIGHT THE SEA CAME

The
 Simply Whitstable
 Web Site

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Flood Causes

A brief account of the circumstances that led to disaster

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Approximate map
 of flooding

Pieced together from the accounts of our visitors

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Legacy of 1287?

Here we compare the temporary shoreline of the flood with the waterfront of King Edward I.... with thanks to research by Brian Smith

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"Events of  '53"
 by Phil Page

Research article with thanks to Phil & Fiona Page & Family

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"From Our Visitors"

A collection of almost 40 short anecdotes extracted from the Visitors Book of Simply Whitstable

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"Time and Tide"
Poem by
 May Johnson 
(1908-95)

 with thanks to Ian Johnson & the Johnson family

 

The night of 31st January 1953 lives long in the memory of older Natives. It was the night that a freak combination of meteorological and marine conditions combined with weak sea defences and a series of communication failures to produce the town's biggest natural disaster 

As the sea toppled over the coastline, many local people remained blissfully unaware of the approaching menace until water and debris poured into their homes.

Many photos exist of the tragedy... but most belong to  museums, professional photographers or the media. Thus, they are not available to Simply Whitstable.

However, when we started to receive anecdotes in our Visitors Book and  Donald Laing kindly forwarded his detailed memories of that fateful night, we decided that we could put together a very touching account of the flood based on the experiences of real Whitstable people. 

Thus, our Flood of '53 section was born with touching words that reminded us that the disaster was far more than a piece of academic history noted in books. It was about real people... real fears... real tragedy... and even real humour.

Since then, we have been fortunate to acquire a small range of photos from some of our regular contributors.

Our thanks to everyone who has helped to piece together those days of 1953. 

If you would to add your own memories, please email us at... 

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The 
Simply Whitstable
Web Site

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"Memories"
by Donald Laing

..... with thanks to Donald in Driffield East Yorkshire.  

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"Night to Remember" 
 by John Harman

with thanks to John in Sidney, British Columbia, Canada for this account of a Whitstable family involved in the maritime industries

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"Memories of '53"
by Bert Ruck 
(1909-95)

The account of a special constable..... with thanks to Graham, Claudia & Thomas Ruck and Family in Canaan, Connecticut, USA. 

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"The Day Mum Cooked in Wellies"  
by Margarett Emery

Childhood memories with thanks to Margarett

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Harbour Memories 
by Barry Jackson

Amidst all the refernces to the flood of 1953 very little seems to have been recorded about the harbour. Here, Barry Jackson gives us an insight.