Bedraggled and bewildered – but safe

The Editor of the Louth Standard during the 1953 floods was Gordon Webb. Here he recalls his own memories of the disaster...

IN a dramatic weekend Louth opened its arms to Mablethorpeís old and young driven from their homes by sea.

Late on the Saturday evening, January 31, Louth town clerk, John Chenery, was alerted to the evacuation by police and told Louth would be the reception centre for Mablethorpe, while evacuees from Sutton were routed to Alford. He immediately set reception plans in motion.

Already in Louth town hall, on duty at a Saturday night dance, was the mayor Coun John Starsmore. He remained in the building, working alongside volunteers until the next day.

The first evacuees arrived at 1.30am on Sunday and were accomodated in hotels. The trickle became a flood of homeless, all taken to the town hallís warmth and security. It had been transformed into a wartime reception centre.

As the weary and anxious were welcomed, the question on many lips was "where is...? as they enquired about those they had been parted from.

Mr Chenery had evolved a master plan. In the ground floor committee room a quick simple documentation listed everyone and their home address.

Local voluntary organisations were quick to lend a hand, alng with the churches and the Royal Air Force at Manby. Refreshments and meals were provided. More than 5,000 people passed through the centre.

Family pets were not left behind. Along with a few personal possessions the evacuees brought their bird cages, dogs and cats. Volunteers stared in amazement when a goose walked in alongside its owner.

Some evacuees had relatives and friends they could go to, but many were temporarily homeless. Early on Sunday morning, loudspeaker vans toured the town appealing for accomodation. Quickly 500 were fixed up.

The British Legion hall had become a dormitory, along with Monksí Dyke School, the boys Grammar School and the Youth Centre.

Among the 120 people billeted at Monksí Dyke School were their cats, dogs, white mice, a parrot and a tortiose. Budgerigars were flying around with cats peacefully watching. The reception had gone like clockwork. By Sunday evening the town hall was almost deserted.

The medical officer of health for Louth and Mablethorpe, Dr WJ Kerrigan, had arranged a rota of doctors on call night and day.

Seven blind people from the flood area were cared for at The Sycamores, a home run by the Lindsey Blind Society.

Louth police station became the flood liaison headquarters with Supt. George Todd and Insp Frank Ward leading the team, working non-stop.

Help came to the town from all parts of the north. An Army officer arrived with transport carrying 3,000 blankets. So generous was the response to a clothing appeal it was estimated about half a lorry load arrived for each avacuee.

The secretary of Louth branch of the National Farmersí Union, Frank Borrill, said over 3,000 acres were flooded in his area.

The estimated loss of livestock was 30 cattle, 5,000 head of poultry, 125 sheep and 250 pigs.

The emergency resulted in a telephone log jam. Louth was a manual exchange. Soon after 11.30pm on Saturday, instead of the usual one telephonist, 10 were on duty to handle the record number of incoming and outgoing calls.

The telegram was an accepted form of communication. As many telegrams were handled by Louth GPO in one week as in a normal nine months, 2,132 being forwarded as against 113 in a normal week, with 2,004 received.

For me, the scene in the town hallís main room, the ballroom, early on Sunday, will always remain. Every inch of the floor was taken up by weary and anxious people. Some were trying to sleep, others were just sitting, bewildered.

Vans, buses and other vehicles carrying the evacuees from the flooded coast pack Eastgate in Louth outside the town hall

Hot meals and help for the many evacuees

A YOUNG waitress at the time of the flood, Florence Thomas, 81, recalled the sirens wailing early on the Sunday morning...

Flo said: "I used to work for Mr Jenkins at the Masonsí Arms Hotel in Louth.

"That morning, as soon as I got to work, I was told to expect people being brought in from Mablethorpe who would be in desperate need of help, food and accomodation."

Flo still recalls the deperation of those evacuees who were brought to The Masonís Arms.

She said: "They came with nothing - just what they were stood in .

"The one thing that sticks in my mind is a lady asking if she could borrow my lipstick."

Flo recalled the government had ordered all hotels to provide evacuees with hot meals until they had run out of food.

The Corn Exchange, British Legion and Louth town hall were also enlisted to help.

Floís daughter, Jean, was just eight years old, but still recalls her fear at events going on around her.

She said: "I remember feeling frightened when I heard the radio announcement that we were to be prepared in case the water came inland.

"Mum packed a suitcase and left it at the bottom of the stairs in preparation."

Jeanís late grandmother, Charlotte Skipworth, known affectionately in the town as Skippy, was a Red Cross nurse and was called to help out at the British Legion.

Red cross nurse Charlotte Skipworth (Skippy) offers a drink to a small boy.

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