October Gales 1997

[SlackAlice]

This day 20 yrs ago what were you doing? Here in Britain we had the highest Gales ever recorded for 300yrs which devastated many parts of the country and caused many deaths.

So, what do you remember about this day?

[jake-the-peg]

I remember waking up in a hotel at Dounray on the Northern tip of Scotland, about to fly down to London, turning on the TV and thinking I was still asleep.

Despite it all I managed to get the flights down.

Quite an interesting view of the country flying down that day!

[Pippa68]

I was asleep, and didn't hear a thing. I woke up to the devastation ~ a tree had fallen across my cul de sac and we couldn't get out by car. There were plenty of people trying to climb over the tree.

Were there many deaths? I heard that as it happened in the middle of the night the death count wasn't as high as it could have been.

There was another one later on in 1990. That was during the day and shorter.

[dove]

I worked as a driver at the time and when I eventually got into work they asked me to get from Surbiton in Surrey to Guildford, it took me five hours to get to the other side of Leatherhead and then gave up (I went that way cos I had a pick up in L'head).

[Reverandfunk]

I find it somewhat alarming that you can all remember what you were doing 20 years ago lol

[donegal]

i was in Donegal i would say as i was only 15 months old at the time so i do not remember

[Hellyon]

I live on the South Coast, it started on my birthday and after going to bed in the early hours I got woken up shortly after by a ridge tile clattering down the roof and into next doors conservatory, then the fence blew down and there were branches and all sorts hitting the windows so not much sleep. The following morning it was devastation, I couldn't get to work and spent the day sorting out repairs. My now husband and I went out into the New Forest a couple of days later and it looked like a giant had stomped through the trees, flattening great swathes. I'll never forget it.

The January storm a couple of years later had me running home as someone came in to where I worked and said a tree had come down through a house in the close where I lived, fortunately it wasn't mine but the neighbours had a very lucky escape, she just taken her crying baby downstairs to feed, minutes before the tree crashed through the cot!

[SlackAlice]

No one spotted my deliberate mistake then! The year was 1987, sorry bit brain dead at the time :)

I was a London bus driver at the time located just outside East London. My job was the first bus out at about 4am on the longest route our garage had,about 1hr 40mins one way. The Galeforce winds did'nt really get up to max speed until about 5-6am in our area. I was doing quite well although the bus was starting to sway a lot and the wipers could'nt cope! I was amazed at one point when a metal dustbin clanked past me doing about twice my speed. I eventually reached the City and stopped to light a crafty fag when there was an almighty crash in front of the bus, a big square pane of glass had fallen out of one the multi storey offices. A few minutes later there was a power cut and I could'nt see a damn thing, pitch black!
Having decided that enough was enough, I then turned out the saloon lights put up 'Not in Service' and made my way back to the garage. You've got to remember there was no sophisticated Bus Radio system or mobile phones then, and had no contact with my garage at all, other than use a landline.
When i got back to the garage (I was last one back) the Chief Inspector said to me 'Where the **ck you been, the garage has been closed since 6am?'
I went home at 8am feeling quite pleased with myself because I had finished early only to be greeted by 'er indoors saying 'What are you doing home so early' lol

[buildersmate]

Looking bleary-eyed out of the window at 4am and seeing trees swaying around violently. Then the shed took off and the roof panels disappeared into next door's garden.

[chevrolet1.8]

i woke for work about 5am and heard a dustbin lid clattering down the road. on my way to work the street lights were out and there seemed to be more leaf and twig debris in the road. in the distance i saw a light going from side to side and when i got closer i saw it was a policeman waving a torch to alert me to the fact a large tree was across the road. when i got to work the lights had failed and the generator which was the size of an artic had failed too so everyone who was already there was standing arround the entrance. the phone lines were down and i was worried too as we were expecting a baby at the time. my daughter was born two days later.

[Kleiber]

I was in Germany - heard it was a bit windy in Britain (it was a bit blowy in Germany, too!). Got home to no more damage than a fence down, I guess I was lucky!