THIS week in Down Memory Lane a flood of memories from 58 years ago, brought back to life by what’s being experienced in Australia today.

The flooding of the Thames on the night of January 31 and February 1, 1953, caused the deaths of more than 300 people and damage in today’s money was estimated at over £5billion.

The flooding was caused by a storm surge caused by the wind pushing the sea towards the coast, but also coupled with low air pressure.

If pressure decreases by one millibar, the sea level rises by one centimetre.

While this doesn’t sound much, across the whole sea this can represent a significant volume of water.

Although much damage along our Thurrock riverside parishes occurred, including damage to the oil refineries and the West Thurrock factories like the margarine, paper and oil storage works, it was in Tilbury that communities suffered the most.

The civil defence and emergency services were at full stretch and Thurrock Urban District Council had to pull out all the stops to relocate people and start the clean-up of houses in Tilbury.

Our featured photograph, taken at the ‘Marge’ in West Thurrock, captures the force of the flooding river as it breaches the medieval sea wall on the following high tide. During low tide long sections of the damaged sea wall were slowly blocked by sand bags before the long term plans of metal piling and concrete reinforcement could be undertaken in the following years.

Down Memory Lane readers will be interested in two upcoming heritage talks. Duggie Chapman is presenting a history of stars of the 1930s and 1940s at the Civic Hall, in Grays, on February 2 at 2.30pm (tickets £8 from 0845 300 5264).

Also, I am giving a talk on Thurrock’s heritage to the Thurrock Antiques and Collectors Club on the same day at the Stanley Lazell Hall, Dell Road, Grays, beginning 7.30pm.