The Great North Sea Flood of 1953; damage to the seafront at Cleethorpes 3 (detail).

One of a series of 12 photographs taken at the scene by Pauline Wilcox’s late husband. Thank you to Pauline for sending us the pictures.

The North Sea storm hit on the night of 31st January 1953. The massive storm surge overwhelmed the town’s sea defences and caused extensive destruction. Driven by a deep atmospheric low pressure and hurricane-force northerly winds, the surge coincided with a high spring tide, causing water levels to rise roughly 2 metres above the normal high tide. Amusement structures built on the beach were destroyed and the promenade was covered in the wreckage. The railway system was damaged, severely disrupting transport. Almost 1000 homes were flooded.

The impact of the storm was greater further south in Lincolnshire from Mablethorpe to Skegness where 42 people lost their lives and huge swathes of farmland were flooded with salt water. In England, 307 people were killed and 19 people were killed in Scotland. In the Netherlands, 1,836 people were killed and 28 people were killed in Belgium. More than 230 deaths also occurred at sea.