The newspaper story has been traced by Dunstable History Society member Andrew Janes as a follow-up to an earlier Dunstable Yesteryear photo of a flood in High Street South, Dunstable. There had been a query about the photo’s date but this time there is no doubt. The picture here, of the same event but taken from near the Saracen’s Head hotel looking towards the Methodist Church and The Square, is clearly dated May 6 1936.
The Daily Express reported: “Floods, hail and lightning came to Southern England last night after the hottest day of the year (top shade temperature in London 73 degrees at 3pm).
“There was a cloudburst over Dunstable, Beds, after hailstones an inch in diameter had fallen. The main road was flooded. Many drivers climbed to the roofs of their cars and awaited rescue by lorries.
“A girl cyclist fainted and fell into the flood water. Inspector Weedon, of the Beds County Police, waded through the water and rescued her.
“Mr. J. Hunt. a Bedfordshire dog breeder and judge, lost three valuable terriers by drowning.
“A landslide blocked the LMS branch line between Leighton Buzzard and Dunstable. Rallway passengers and mails were taken by road.
“Lightning cut off an overhead electricity supply in Leighton Buzzard for half an hour. This put traffic lights out of action and temporarily added to the confusion.”
Another national newspaper reported another incident from the Dunstable storm, recording that the lighting had blown all the electrical switches in the Waterlow’s printing factory and the hailstorm had choked up all the gutters. Waterlow’s had about 100 men working for nearly three hours clearing sway the hail and repairing the damage.
Yesteryear is compiled by John Buckledee, chairman of Dunstable and District Local History Society.