The Wearside winter when classrooms were crushed in a Sunderland school - by the weight of the snow

Imagine facing weeks of non-stop snow with the constant threat of German air raids as well.
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That was the nightmare facing the people of Sunderland 80 years ago this month.

As we continue our features on the worst winters in Wearside history, we look at 1941 with the help of Philip Curtis of Sunderland Antiquarian Society.

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Sunderland was suffering. There was fuel rationing, water shortages and electricity cuts as the Second World War took its toll.

Scenes from Sunderland's winter of 1941.Scenes from Sunderland's winter of 1941.
Scenes from Sunderland's winter of 1941.

There was a constant fear of German air raids as well.

And in the winter of 1941, Wearside recorded some of the heaviest snowfalls it had ever seen.

The storms started on Tuesday, February 18, snow fell continually for three days and when they eventually stopped, snow lay two feet deep in the town centre and more than four feet deep in the suburbs.

Rail services were badly affected and buses to outlying districts were only able to get through with great difficulty.

A tram heads through Sunderland town centre in a February 1941 snowstorm.A tram heads through Sunderland town centre in a February 1941 snowstorm.
A tram heads through Sunderland town centre in a February 1941 snowstorm.
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Transport had ground to a halt by tea time and thousands of Wearsiders were forced to walk home from work through knee deep snow and a raging blizzard.

A train taking hundreds of people from Teesside to Newcastle became stranded at Sunderland and passengers were advised to leave the train. There was a rush to obtain hotel accommodation which was soon booked to capacity.

However, hundreds had no option other than to seek shelter in fire-watchers’ posts in the town centre.

Throughout the Wednesday night the snow continued to fall and by Thursday morning trams and buses were at a standstill.

A horse and plough being used to clear the snow in Sunderland in 1941.A horse and plough being used to clear the snow in Sunderland in 1941.
A horse and plough being used to clear the snow in Sunderland in 1941.
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The few buses which attempted to leave their depots were very quickly stuck in deep snow.

Shops and offices were understaffed as workers could not travel into the town. The position in schools was pretty much the same and most were forced to close for the next few days.

The sheer volume of snow brought down thousands of spouts and chimney stacks. The roof of St Nicholas Church collapsed and classrooms at West Southwick School were crushed like a pack of cards.

Telephone poles and wires were brought down and the Army was brought in to repair communications.

There was fun to be had for youngsters who went sledging in the snow.There was fun to be had for youngsters who went sledging in the snow.
There was fun to be had for youngsters who went sledging in the snow.
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Food and fuel became a problem for many Wearsiders and outlying districts including South Hylton were cut off for two days.

Thirteen wagons belonging to Vaux Brewery were stranded in various parts of the town and beer supplies ran short. Local farmers were left with huge amounts of milk with no way of arranging distribution.

Postal deliveries were impossible but the mail from Herrington was brought down to the town by a farmer’s cart pulled by three horses.

Even funerals were affected. Many were hours late arriving at the churches and some drivers had to stop on their way to cemeteries in order to dig a pathway through.

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To help clear the town centre, a snowplough drawn by a six-horse team was used and an appeal also went out for people to clear their own streets to assist ARP vehicles to get through.

Our thanks go to Sunderland Antiquarian Society for their invaluable help. To find out more about the society and its vast history of Wearside, click here.

A snowy scene at Sunderland Municipal Hospital in 1941.A snowy scene at Sunderland Municipal Hospital in 1941.
A snowy scene at Sunderland Municipal Hospital in 1941.

What was the worst Sunderland winter you’ve faced? Was it 1963 which we featured earlier this week?

Tell us more by emailing [email protected]

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