24. JGH, Long Reach Hospital and the big flood.

January is often affected by bad weather and consequently we are very often quick to complain about the discomfort that it brings. However any one who was working at Joyce Green during the evening or night of January 31st 1953 could have been forgiven for being worried about the safety of the patients in the hospital and/or their own safety. This is because that was the night when, according to The Open University, “the worst peacetime disaster that the United Kingdom has ever known” took place.

The combination of a very high spring tide in the North Sea and a severe windstorm led to a storm tide which subsequently overwhelmed the sea defences all along the coastlines of Denmark, Holland, Belgium, France and of the UK leading to severe flooding, serious damage and huge losses of life.

At 5pm the first of a number of sea walls along the Lincolnshire coastline gave way and 20ft waves came crashing down onto nearby homes killing 41 people. Later on that evening 132 of the 172 people who had been travelling onboard the British Rail North Sea Ferry “Princess Victoria” died after abandoning their ship in high seas.

1835 people died in the Netherlands, whilst the number of British citizens who died totalled 307. A total 30,000 people were evacuated from their homes in England as the tidal surge knocked out tide gauges between the Wash & Southend and devastated land and property along the Thames Estuary. On Canvey Island alone 58 people died and 10,000 had to be evacuated.

The flooding extended up the River Thames into the Docklands area but fortunately Central London was spared. It is reported that worried emergency staff watched as the water lapped the top of the embankment walls in Victoria and Chelsea because of course if the defences had been breached the Underground system would also have been submerged.

By 2.00 a.m. on 1st February the whole of the Long Reach Hospital site was 6ft under water but the nightmare scenario of what to do with an evacuated, infectious smallpox patient did not arise because the hospital was simply on “Stand By” status that night. The Gate Porter on duty at Long Reach though apparently had to wade through the water in order to reach dry ground at Joyce Green.

It seems that the flood waters reached Joyce Green's North Gate, a distance of half a mile from the river and then it finally flooded the Wells fireworks factory on Sunday afternoon (2nd February). There it caused a reaction between some of the chemicals stored there and this resulted in a fire and three explosions which in turn shattered 400-500 panes of glass in the windows of Joyce Green Hospital.

For those of you who can get hold of a copy of Francine Payne’s excellent book: “Joyce Green & the River Hospitals” page 28 shows a very amusing photograph of Matron Couzins in a rowing boat on the flooded Long Reach site with the Minister of Health’s Parliamentary Secretary viewing the flood waters two others from the Ministry.

In typical British fashion a committee was eventually set up to consider flood defences, particularly for London, and as a result 30 years later the Thames Barrier was built. It now known though that this barrier will no longer be “fit for purpose” after 2015 and officials have already begun to consider what needs to be done now to defend the next generation of Londoners against the sea.

However, for better or for worse, neither Joyce Green Hospital, Long Reach Hospital or the Wells firework factory will require any protection in the future, will they ?