Looking Back: Tragic aftermath of the Weymouth flooding of 1955

As we've shared many memories of first hand experiences of the heavy rainfall that sparked the devastating flooding on July 18 and 19 1955, we turn our attention to the sad loss of life in this weather incident.

In the aftermath of the flooding, schoolboy Robin Crump, aged 12, died when he went to look at the damage the flood had caused and fell into deep water.

In February 1956, John Jewers, 17, of Chapel Lane, was presented with the Royal Humane Society's certificate by the Mayor for 'having on 19 July 1955, at personal risk, gone to the rescue of a boy who drowned in an area disturbed by floods … but whose life he gallantly tried to save.'

*We heard from Pauline Samways, nee Patterson, of Weymouth, about the tragic drowning of Robin Crump, who was in her class.

She was attending Broadwey Secondary School.

"I was 14-years-old at the time," She said. It was a lovely morning, I went off to school in my green dress and cardigan and at about lunchtime the skies opened. Robin Crump made his way to the Upwey Wishing Well and drowned. They found his body in a hole.

"On the day of the heavy rain I managed to get home to Buckland Ripers but there was a lady in the cottages whose daughter worked at Normans shop. She managed to get to Nottington where she had to stay the night.

"When I got home me and my foster mother had to sweep floodwater out of an old lady's cottage.

"I went home, had a bath and really didn't feel great. The next day I was covered in German measles. The doctor had to go round to Langton Herring to get through to me.

"There was lots of cleaning up from the flooding still going on a few days afterwards. At Broadwey a lot of people's houses were ruined and they had to have their places redecorated.

"I can remember it all as clear as a bell."

*Regular Looking Back reader Alvin Hooper got in touch to let us know that he recalls this deluge of water as an eight-year-old.

He said: "I think we had just had a sports day at The College Field, which is now built on, at College Lane,that connects with Cranford Avenue.

"I was at that time attending St.John's School. That was those days sited where the apartments of St.John's Court now stand. At about 4 pm the sky turned a deep purple colour and a heavy thunder storm developed.

"I was one of the lucky ones,as I had just got indoors, when a torrent of water fell from the firmament.

"It increased into a precipitation on a scale equal to that of which one sees representing The Monsoon, on films at the cinema, recreating scenes of India or Burma (Myramar) rain that we never have here in this country.

"It continued for all night, as I remember. After it had ended,The whole of the Park District was flooded to at least two-feet deep (60 centimetres)in most of the lower lying parts of the area.

"The electric pumping station in Derby Street (of which the pump house still exists) was put out of use by a power cut, probably due to a lightning strike somewhere?

"So the water just rose and rose.In King Street some of the aquatic wildlife were swimming around by the Railway Station, the height

of the water being on a level with that of Radipole Swannery.

"The Bus Garage was flooded also lots of other properties around the area of Park street and as far as Westham road.

"Firemen were able to assist the pumping out of some properties,to try and save stock and goods from loss. The local brigade were pressed to the limit with the catastrophic deluge from the rainstorm.

"No doubt there are many articles that could be written about those two days in the history of Weymouth,from those who witnessed the events.

"Weymouth had 7"inches(177mm)of rain inside of 48 hours.The long standing British and European Rainfall Record was set over those two days,

at Martinstown,and has only within the last few years been beaten by a record rainfall in the Lake District, around the Keswick area,I believe."

*Next week we'll be hearing from Portland historian Stuart Morris, who'll be sharing an engineer's report on the flooding.