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The Flood Disaster in Suffolk

1953 , Felixstowe (Suffolk)

Cat no. 45

Aftermath of East Coast floods, 31 January, 1953.

This film was shot the day after the flood. The film opens at Felixstowe railway station. Devastated caravans are shown nearby. A general view of flooded caravan park follows. Flooded areas of the town are shown, both industrial and residential areas. The water is running down the street and the flood level is visible on some houses. A man is shown inspecting his boat. Residents are discussing the flood and one is pointing out damage to the other. On Langer Road one of the prefabs washed away is shown in the middle of road, then various prefabs are shown where they settled. Residents are rescuing what possessions they can by boat or on foot. At the end of the film, the flooded streets are shown with boats parked outside as one would expect to find the family car.

Featured Events

1953 Floods in Suffolk

Keywords

Flood damage; Floods

Background Information

“On the corner of Langer Road and Orford Road was a colony of post-war prefabs which caught the full force of the water. Every one of them was moved from its original site, some by as much as two hundred yards. In Stour Avenue, William Leggett awoke to find his house creaking and rocking on its foundations. Looking out he saw water everywhere; the only thing he could do was to swim for it. . ‘I half swam and was half taken by the current,’ he said later. ‘I could hear neighbours shouting and screaming but there was nothing I could do. When I looked round, my house was following me down the road. I’ve been under machine gun fire during the war but this was far more frightening.’” (From “North Sea Surge” by Michael Pollard. Published by Terence Dalton Limited. Lavenham.)

Manifestations

The Flood Disaster in Suffolk

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