Despite a weather warning here in Berkshire we still haven’t had rain in what feels like about 3 months. I just about remember the summer of 76 but this must be fast approaching an even hotter, drier spell. Any of the older people on here remember it?
It chucked it down here in Bristol yesterday. Yes, I remember 76 well. Lawn looked the Sahara Desert.
I do remember it-i think the Govt passed a Drought Act and a minister for Drought was appointed I also recall not looking forward to the start of our second season in Div 4 even though we had finished a respectable 8th the previous season but in front of crowds around 4,000 to 5,000. We were looking forward to playing L*t*n in the Kent Challenge cup (yes really) on 31st July which we duly lost 1-0 in front of over 3,000-wow
I remember it. My wife was heavily pregnant at the time, and she remembers it even better. (When she came out of hospital, the weather had broken and it was raining)
I was just going to mention that. Was on holiday in Clacton and they were everywhere. Plus my first ever season ticket.
Absolutely. Tonked England all over a parched Oval, I think? EDIT. My memory is better than I expected, especially as I was only 9 years old. He scored a mere 291.
A drought in 1976? That's when I lived through my first cyclone - Cyclone Alan. It rained non-stop for weeks...
I knew it wouldn't take long, if I had said WFC are playing in yellow & black stripes this season, someone would have said no we arn't we're playing in yellow & white stripes
Why is this thread now in Yellow Pages? YP should be the free market antidote to the (nest of vipers in the) Politics section.
I know. We usually holidayed in Cornwall but my parents decided to go to sth France that year to get away from the rain we'd had year on year. They were obviously delighted the weather turned out to be so good in the west country !
Harold Wilson as PM appointed Sports Minister Denns Howell as minister for drought. Howell famously inviting the BBC to his home to show how to save water. He made the point that his personal sacrifices including sharing a bath with his wife. Which the next day was all over the press as GOvernment says have a shower with a friend. Within days it started to rain - it never stopped. Howells was so succesful that he had to be appointed minister for floods! Immediately the deluge ceased. Wilson successor James Callaghan made Howell Minister for snow during a very cold 1978/79 winter. As expected, an immediate thaw was followed by a glorious spring. As a 13 year old I remember the summer of 1976 very well. It was the first school holiday i really started to get interested in music and other youth culture. We had one of the best ever family holidays in Brixham Devon. While discussing the forthcoming season my dad announced he was going to buy me an under 14s season ticket for the 1976/77 season, (he had a season ticket sat among his mates in the main stand). My all time favourite Watford team includes many members of that squad - Many of whom were to bloom spectacularly a year later under Gods direction. Anyway move forward to 1982 and as a student I met Denis Howell on a lobby of parliament. He received us in his office where he discussed education cuts laid out on a chaise long smoking a massive cigar. He was quite a short fella for a former Football League referee, but very nice to us, and after discussing why he thought Aston University superior to Birmingham University, we meandered on to football (he was a big Villa fan) and cricket.
i remember that the local swimming pool was reduced to about 3ft of water, water pressure at home was really low. You weren't mean to flush after a pee and massive cracks in the ground When it did rain people went out side and danced, so they showed it on the news
That summer lasted about 3 years, at least it seemed that way . My balls dropped in and my first pube sprouted like a lone desert crocus . Barry from next door reckoned he fingered Rebecca Simpson from number 43 and we only believed when he made us smell his fingers . I was only 6 at the time .
Well they can be traumatic experiences. If, for example, you had been hit on the back of the head by a flying kangaroo, the blow to your brain's limbic system could easily have caused long-term amnesia.
Fear not though - the '76 cyclone blew all the kangaroos away, so it shouldn't happen again. Just watch out for the flying cats, dogs, foxes, squirrels etc...
1976 was hot , I remember 2 weeks in Whitsand Bay Cornwall and got burnt to a cinder. Back in those days there was no factor 20 etc only factor 2 oil . I also remember people just left their rubbish on the beach . Today we are much more civilized . Sometimes.