The Great Smog
 

Sixty Five years since the Great Smog of London

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news...hs-65-11658734

I remember walking home with my Dad after attending a works boxing match in North Woolwich. We couldn't take the normal train from South Woolwich due to the fog, but did get another which took us to wirhin 3 miles of home. During the walk, I nearly bumped into a telephone pole - just couldn't see it in the murk, even though there were some street lights. As we walked a bus slowly passed us with the conductor walking in front with sheets of flaming newspaper as a torch. Across the road, (couldn't see what was happening but it didn't leave too much to the imagination) we could hear a car engine running with the passenger obvioulsy in front -- who then proceeded to shout "left 'and down "arry, left 'and down - followed by "crunch" as the car hit a wall, or something equeally solid.

Another fog/smog anniversary this week too.
Sixty years ago this week since a two train rear end collision near Lewisham killed about 90 people.

I was one year old at that time, so don't remember that one. I do remember another one, almost as bad in 1959 (I think). Shortly after that, legislation created smokeless zones, and we weren't allowed to burn coal on our fires any more.

I was on the Canton at the time, just back from HK, and we had spirits stashed away in the evaporator ( it was never used) and the chief rang down and said start it up, never had a door been so quickly removed and replaced, reckon we were in the book of records.. We were anchored in the Thames for 5 days.
The 4th eng was getting married and wanted a good supply of spirits and in those days it was us versus the customs

My dad, as any seaman, hated fog. He got, as his pilotage turn just as the fog set in, one of the emigrant liners inbound to Tilbury (I forget which one) - normally just a couple of hours job. He was stuck with it at anchor off Gravesend, for three days and loved every minute!


JJ.

Funny how things stick in your mind:
I was born in Birmingham, but we left around 1951 and moved to Essex. Only there for a short while and went to Lincolnshire which is where we were when the London smog happened.
I remember hearing something and asking my mother what it was about. She explained to the effect that the smoke from chimneys had combined with fog and made it worse, because it was a big city and there were a lot of fireplaces.
With the clarity of vision of a 5-year-old, I asked "why didn't we used to get smog in Birmingham?"

It wasn't until I became a parent myself that I realised the importance of being able to change the subject mid-conversation without the other party even being aware it had happened.

That's funny, Nayticos. We've all been there. How long did the Great Smog actually last? Was it days or weeks?

They had a dense smog in the Black Country (very near Birmingham) but nobody noticed ... :eek: