Sheffield gales 1962

[Cycleracer]

Originally posted by pitsmoorlad

Re. the colour of the sky. My uncle had served in the navy for years, and apparently he'd seen the sky the same colour while at sea. He said that it always meant gale force winds, so he'd told his neighbours what was coming. Can anyone remember if the weather forecasters had predicted it?

It was not expected as some freak turbliance unable to get over the penines caused a vacuum which struck only Sheffield.

Rotherham and Chesterfield escaped lightly.

[timo]

I was only a year old at the time of the gales. However, I remember my father showing me several [very large] trees that had been completely uprooted by the severe weather in Wooley Woods, just on the edge of Concord Park when I was about seven.

[Cycleracer]

There is a huge tree which as been up rooted in Wormhill in Derbyshire which i was told was up rooted in the 62 gale, but history says it was only in Sheffield so one is contridicting the other.

[sweetdexter]

Looking back in history there was a simular wind storm on Jan 21 1802

It was reported a lead roof weighing 2000 lbs was ripped off

[ANTHONY]

The local paper - either The Star or that other one - published a 'Hurricane Special' edition. I suppose it would be a collector's item today but could be in a local library somewhere. Can't vouch for this story but it was said that the Ole Bill who worked Town Hall Square had his helmet blown off and it finished up on the head of Vulcan atop the Town Hall. The said Bill then perambulated to West Bar, acquired himself another helmet and perambulated back to the Town Hall where he discovered another gust of wind had blown his original one from Vulcan to a shop doorway. Having retrieved the original helmet he placed this back on his head and continued his duty with the other tucked underneath his arm - or so it was said at the time !! ANTHONY

[derfice]

my pal les lived in a prefab house on the arbouthorne. i can remember him telling me the next day that he laid in bed and watched the roof disappear. didn't seem to worry him too much though.

[PhilipB]

Originally posted by derfice

my pal les lived in a prefab house on the arbouthorne. i can remember him telling me the next day that he laid in bed and watched the roof disappear. didn't seem to worry him too much though.

 

Was at Hurlfield School and they closed it the day after because lots of people from the Arbourthorne prefabs were sheltered in the school overnight.

[bigkev]

I can remember it well we lived on lowedges then on toppham road and out of our kitchen window we saw the wind lift a wooden fence off then someones front lawn and drop it on the roof of one of the houses over the road. we also saw a three wheeler car just get lifted as it was just a toy and dropped at the back of our masonette, them winds was really strong in fact just up from the shops on lowedges it blew one side of a house in, then what happened we had to contend with the floods in the 60's I can remember going down to my grandma's who lived down the cliffe and going for a walk with my dad what use to be the weir walk just off carbrook street it took you down to brightside the water level was that high that they had put up steel sheets down the weir walk it was about 3 inches from the top of the brightside bridge next to the bridge inn infact the weir head where the water fall was you couldnt see it as there was that much water going over it and up sheffield on ladys bridge there was that much wood piled high the water was licking the top of the bridge if I can remember rightly what is now the garage just across from the old sheaf market where the houses use to be all that was flooded.

[robmaujac]

To Pitsmoorlad. My uncle Aunt and cousin were the people your dad rescued at Shirecliffe on that night, That has brought back alot of memories to me. I was living in Sheffield at Cromford Street at the time and we had to be brought downstairs from our attic and sleep in the front room as all the chimney pots were falling through the rooftops. Maureen.

[dustbunny]

I remember the 1962 gales, the chimney on the house across the road was blown off and went through the roof luckily no one was in bed at the time. I can rmeber not having to go to school that day. When I was little I used to spend a lot of my time in Sharmans sat at the counter. That would have been around 1957/1958 chatting away to the customers. I lived on Victoria street before moving to Hodgson Street then to the Gleadless Valley in 1963.: