REMINISCENCES of living in Lydney at the time of the Severn Bridge disaster.
The fog had come down even before school home time. Walking back up Tutnalls Street, the Sharpness fog horn was already sending out its gloomy blare. There was a set time of so many seconds blast and so many seconds of silence in between which I cannot recall. There could be answering hoots or thinner blasts from any shipping on the river at that time.
Early next morning, loud-vans toured the town warning everyone not to turn on any gas appliances. Cold water washes and bread and butter for breakfast! In the staff room, we heard eyewitness accounts of what had happened as far as it was possible to tell from some of the PE staff who had been enjoying a jar or two in the bar of the Severn Bridge hotel that night. Harrowing details of the river in flame glaring through the fog and the cries of burned and drowning men; and the feeling of utter impotency of the chance customer powerless to help.
Because the large black pipe carrying the gas main over the bridge had been carried away, the school canteen served sandwiches for several days thereafter. Then, every premises and home in the town which had used gas was provided with a brand new Calor gas cooker and large cylinder as replacement.
A few weeks later, a large iron pipe was laid down all along the north side of the A48 down from Gloucester a few feet into the verge. When completed, lorries were sent all round the town and collected all the as-new cookers throwing them in as so much scrap iron. Brand new gas appliances were then issued and connected up all for free.
Back to normal, except we missed the throng of Sharpness Grammar School children pouring up the pavements on their way to school at 8.45am from the town station and their return trip at 4.15pm in the afternoon.
Andrew J Pyke
Hewelsfield