The following is mainly taken from the C+W Herald re the floods of 20th August 1928 in Appleby, with my own intro'.
There is more in the paper, but my focus was Appleby.
1928 - An Appleby Inundation
In the report below on the floods of 1968 we read: 'The River Eden burst rose to its highest level since 1928.' A fairly typical comment made in a weather report that has to make a comparison to some other previous similar event - they are quite invaluable observations, but then cause more research - which is part of the enjoyment!
That research takes us first to the 'British Rainfall Guides', but looking at 1928, these floods could have been at anytime during the year, let's not forget that 1928 remains the wettest ever year in the complete Appleby data set, but the most likely date for these floods was the 20th August - and August was the wettest month of the wettest year and then finally a search of the Cumberland and Westmorland Herald confirms that belief.
In the British Rainfall Guide for that year we read: 'The total recorded at Appleby was 8.89 inches or 269% of the average and as much as 2.87 inches fell on the 20th at this station. The percentage map was in many respects similar to that of August 1927 when the fall at Appleby was 7.75 inches or 235% of the average.'
Unfortunately it does not mention that there was flooding in the town, but does say 'Flooding occurred at times, especially in the Border districts...' However, it was well reported in the C+W Herald, the account of which is:
'An Appleby Inundation - Houses and shops flooded.' Appleby and district suffered heavy damage by the flood on Monday night. About ten o'clock the River Eden began to rise and by midnight it had grown into a raging torrent. In Chapel Street, where the flood seemed to be worst, the tar macadam was ripped off the road by the force of the running water, and houses were flooded to the depth of four and five feet. The road on The Sands was flooded to an extent of six feet and when the wall which divides the bowling green and tennis courts from the road gave way it released an extra torrent of water which swept away the doors of Atkinson's garage opposite and carried away tins of petrol and oil. The damage to the garage is estimated at about £70. Considerable damage was of course done to the bowling green and tennis courts.
The Co-operative stores and Police Station were surrounded and the manager of the stores was marooned in the shop until morning. A young man just reached the Police Station in time, and found himself a prisoner until the dark swirling waters subsided. P.C. Macdonald who was to have reported at the Police Station at 10 p.m. found that he could not reach his goal and therefore was exempt from his night's duty.
Telephone communication was cut off and the flooded river extinguished the furnaces at the gasworks, thus cutting off the gas supply and making the rescuers' task more difficult. The garage of the King's Head hotel, like other premises, was flooded and one rescuer, clad in waders, failed to notice a submerged motor repair pit and to the horror of his fellows, he suddenly disappeared in the muddy depths. Luckily he was able to scramble out.
Also reported on the same page of the C+W Herald was:- 'COUNCIL AND RELIEF FOR THE
FFERERS' - At the meeting of the Appleby Town Council on Wednesday night (22nd), Councillor Williamson said that, owing to the disastrous flood, there had been a great deal of suffering in the poorer parts of Appleby. He wondered if they, as a council, could do anything or set any machinery in motion that would relieve these distressed people. He thought some of those that had been lucky in the flood should help. Some people had suffered very badly and even if insured, he found that the insurance companies did not pay for damage to oil-cloth and wallpaper.
Alderman Chatfield said it was usual for the Mayor to deal with these sort of things and he thought the matter should be left until the return of the Mayor. Those matters needed time and consideration.
Councillor Parkin said the matter should be dealt with immediately. It was quite possible to deal with it in the absence of the Mayor.
Alderman Chatfield - "I propose we leave it until the Mayor returns."
Councillor Parkin - "It is a matter of urgency and I do not think there is any need for us to wait until the Mayor returns."
Councillor Williamson said it was a matter of urgency and he thought it could be dealt with by the Deputy Mayor. Alderman Rigg proposed that the Council discuss the question in committee and this was agreed to.
And it does not stop there as the C+W Herald also published a letter from a reader on the subject of the floods - what I find quite delightful about this letter is that it is from 'A. RATEPAYER' It reads:
'APPLEBY FLOOD VICTIMS' - Sir, Will you kindly allow me space in your valuable paper to ask who is the acting sanitary inspector for the county town of Appleby, also the medical officer for the county, seeing that neither of these officials have taken any action up to the time of writing to alleviate the disgusting conditions under which the victims of Monday night's unprecedented floods are having to live? Most, if not all the houses have no other sanitary convenience than earth closets and as these were flooded out and into the houses, the consequences to any right thinking person are very obvious. Where are our Councillors? Are they more concerned with the flooded bowling green than the inhabitants of the borough they represent? - Yours, etc.'
Clearly difficult times - but on a lighter note, that week at Appleby cinema you had the following choice of viewing: Ken Maynard with his wonder horse, 'Tarzan' - in the Overland stage' and on the 31st August and 1st September twice a night, Milton Sills in 'The Silent Lover'.
Finally, it should be made clear that this rainfall was not the result of a thunderstorm and was a 'normal' Atlantic depression', albeit for August, quite rare.
