Some Captured History Of The Amman Valley And Its PeopleThe Thunderstorm of 1936 |
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In the afternoon, on Tuesday 30th June, 1936, the Amman Valley suffered a severe thunderstorm which caused damage throughout the locality. "Vivid flashes of lightening" and loud thunder was followed by torrential rain. The aftermath was reported in the July 2nd, 1936 edition of "The Amman Valley Chronice".
This being in the days before homes were equiped with surge protectors, many mains connected wireless sets were damaged or destroyed and several windows in the district were smashed.
One part of the railway near Amman United's playing field was under a foot of water and many houses in the vicinity suffered flooding. The flooded river carried away a sow from a farm in Garnant and the poor creature was drowned. The River Amman burst its banks in several places throughout the Amman Valley.
In Ammanford, a house on New Road was struck by a bolt of lightning,
which reportedly entered through the chimney and made a hole in the wall.
Moses Thomas resided at the abode at the time and his wife was in the room
when the lightening struck. She was unharmed apart from having a shock (not
an electric shock!). At the Western Welsh Omnibus Garage in Tirydail, Ammanford,
one poor gentleman was not so lucky. A 22 year old cleaner named Ken Johnston
was rendered unconscious for nearly five minutes when he sustained a "severe
lightening shock". How severe a shock he received may be open to interpretation,
as he was reportedly able to proceed with his duties after he recovered later
on.
Harold Street and other low lying parts of the Town were affected by several
inches of water and the bowling green was completely submerged.
Betws tennis courts were also completely submerged and at Newbridge, also in Betws, the chimney of the bakery was struck by lightning, causing damage to the masonry.
That evening, after the storm had died down, a cleaner at Parcyrhun Council School discovered a fire at the premises when a bracket fell, revealing a burning beam. It was assumed that lightening had passed along a gas bracket and set alight to the roof beam to which it was attached.
In contrast to the day's heavy rain, the drought which took
place three years earlier in 1933, was severe enough to threaten the stoppage
of work at the collieries of Cwmamman. There was a shortage of essential water
needed for various methods of washing the coal and for the working of the
screening plant.
Information for this article was taken from the Amman Valley Chronicle.