The snow of 1947

The Met Office has just announced that we may have a white Christmas in parts of Wales this year. Well, back in 1946, with everyone recovering from World War 2, goods still in short supply and rationing still in place, Christmas was relatively quiet and snow-free. Then came January 1947 and one of the coldest and most snow-bound winters ever – lasting for three months nearly and well into March!

Recently Mr Robinson of Sutton Coldfield sent Torfaen Museum transcriptions of records and a diary kept by his father, David Robinson of Blaendare Road, Pontypool, on the terrible weather during that winter of 1947.

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According to David Robinson’s records, the snow started falling on 25 January and carried on abated, snowing nearly every day, until the start of the thawing in early March (although there was further snow showers later in March too). The 2nd & 9th February alone had over 8 inches of snowfall on each day and 5 March David described as …”deep snow, snow blizzard, worst conditions in living memory” when there was a record fall of over 18 inches!

The Free Press of Monmouthshire described the blizzards of early March as ‘the story of a week that history will remember' telling the tales of hardship and heroism during the terrible weather:

Blaenavon suffered terribly from a non-stop, 36 hour blizzard and was completely cut off. The snow was so deep that it reached to the first floor of most houses! Some bungalows on the edge of the town were completely covered and the residents had to be dug out and rescued. Residents at Milfraen Cottages could only be reached with relief food via a mile of pit workings and up through the Milfraen shaft!

The situation was so dire that the designated Food Executive Officer had miners not employed clearing colliery yards, re-distributing supplies of floor and coal. Yeast ran out and the Co-operative sent 2 of its employees to walk to Pontypool and save the day.

The same night Mr Illtyd Caddick set out in an army truck with corrugated iron tied to the roof and with 6 men armed with shovels – by 9 am they had reached Cwmavon! But by 3 pm that day they reached Pontypool and loaded up with meat, milk, yeast, mail and also pay for the miners. The return journey was much quicker, taking only 6 hours!

Picture courtesy of Torfaen Museum Trust.