BASINGSTOKE residents have shared their memories of times the town has been snowed under.
It comes after earlier this week, The Gazette published a feature about The Great Freeze of 1947.
Reader Dick Dapré said he still remembers the winter that turned the country into a mess.
“It was a mess, the country ground to a halt. There were power shortages (and the Minister in charge received death threats), crops were ruined, the economy was severely damaged and public morale suffered. Hindsight is always rose-tinted!”
Although nothing can be compared to the raging snow blizzard that hit us 73 years ago, many people shared memories and photos of snow from the recent past.
It was the snow from two years ago that lingers in the memory of Andy McCormick who had to brave the freezing temperature while traveling home.
“Travelling home from work in Reading, the Thames Valley was clear. But going up the last bit of the dual carriageway on the A33 where it gets that little bit higher, it was heavy snow. There were massive delays in and around Basingstoke, especially on the M3. But thanks to the heroic efforts of locals — for example on the Brighton Hill roundabout giving people a push up the hill — we survived!”
Mr McCormick also recalled the snow of December 2009 when over 2,000 cars had to be abandoned on the ring road.
Paul Singlehurst-Ward cannot quite forget that as he had to spend seven hours in his car that day.
“I got home from Tonbridge after seven hours in the car. There were cars abandoned all over the place, but my trusty little 1.6-diesel Kia Rio ploughed its way through to get me to my house in Coronation Road. Then in the morning I set off back to Tonbridge.
“It used to surprise me that when there was even a light covering of snow, the locals in Tonbridge couldn't get to work, but I was always able to make it from Basingstoke.”
Andy Couper said it took him six hours to get from the 303 to J7 that day. “Then I abandoned the car and walked home. Never seen anything like it.”
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