Reminiscences of a Cobholm resident by Betty Wade (nee Webb)

In January 1953 on an evening in January my Mum and I were sitting by the fire listening to the radio enjoying being on our own, as my Dad was a driver on the Great Yarmouth buses, and my brother was out at the skating rink. I was fourteen at the time.

My brother suddenly appeared soaking wet, so we both said, "Wherever have you been?". He replied that he had been at the skating rink and it closed because the weather was too bad. So he made his way along the seafront and went to the Regal Cinema. While he was there, an announcement was made that Cobholm was flooded, so he came home, or tried to. When he reached Cobholm it was under water and he had to swim to reach home. My father had taken the bus out but when he got to Southtown Road he had to turn back and spent the night at the Corporation Depot.
My brother then told us that everywhere was flooded and we didn't believe him. I ran upstairs and looked out of the window and it was like a river outside. My brother went to get some wood to try and block the front door. My Mum, brother and I went upstairs and all three of us laid on the bed frightened out of our wits. During the night by brother kept looking downstairs, saying, "The water is now up to the fourth stair". My Mum said, "Don't look any more. We'll all be drowned in our beds".

In the morning the water had subsided, but everywhere was really a horrible mess. My father arrived home and wondered what was going on not knowing what we had been through. My brother and I walked down Cobholm Road, which got the flood worse than us and we saw fish floating down the street.

As we hadn't any relations to stay with, the Great Yarmouth Corporation supplied lorries to find somewhere for us to go. We went down Southdown Road which had a lot of water, but they then decided to take us to Caister Holiday Camp. It had been agreed to open it to those people who had nowhere else to go. When we arrived there we were given two chalets which weren't very big, not enough room to swing a cat!
Before we eventually went back to our house I had to travel forward and back to the Priory School in Yarmouth. We also had to find some clothes. After two weeks we went home and then had to clean up all the mess. What a job!

When the 50th Anniversary of the tragic event arrived, the Town Hall asked if anyone had memories of the 1953 flood. So I rang up and they said would I write an essay about the event. I did as requested, and they wanted me to read it out when they had a service which my daughter and I attended. I declined to do this as I was too shy, but my essay was read out by someone else.

(Betty has written this account trying to remember exactly what she said all those years ago, as she couldn't find her original copy. She now lives in Braydeston Crescent, Brundall.)
Wendy Ward