SUNBURNED BRITAIN

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21540, 11 July 1933, Page 6

SUNBURNED BRITAIN

WHITSUN HEAT WAVE RECORD FOR OVER 50 YEARS OVER 1700 PEOPLE COLLAPSE A sunburned Britain turned reluctantly homeward on the night of Whit Monday, June 5, after the hottest and sunniest YVhitsun of the century. The holiday provided many remarkable—and some tragic—incidents. Nearly 1800 people, including many children, were overcome by the heat during a Church of England procession in Manchester Some 300 spectators were treated by ambulance' workers at the laying of the foundation-stone of the new Roman Catholic Cathedral in Liverpool. Three men died from sunstroke and there were many drowning fatalities. Thousands spent the night on the beach at Southend and Brighton, and bathing continued until after midnight at Hastings, St Leonards and Clacton. Trains, buses, coaches, steamers, motor roads and aeroplanes plying from London to the river, the country and the sea and back again, were packed to their utmost capacity. The Thames recalled for a day its pre-war glory, and rich and poor alike joined in a carnival of sun worship on, in and beside its cooling waters. In three days Kew had had nearly 42 hours of sunshine—more than has ever before been recorded at Whitsua —and an average maximum temperature of over 83 degrees. Monday's tem. perature of 86 degrees was the highest recorded there between June 1 and June 10 for over fifty years. The night brought, no abatement, for at midnight on the Air Ministry roof it was four degrees hotter than on the previous night, viz., 73 degrees, against 69 degrees. Intense Heat in Manchester The intense heat in the crowded streets in Manchester—the shade temperature reached 86 degrees—had a disastrous effect on the traditional Whit Monday procession organised by the Church of England. No fewer than 1770 persons were treated for heat collapse and more than twenty were taken to hospital with sunstroke. Whole sections of the procession of 20,000 children were forced to leave the ranks, and the spectators crowded on the pavements collapsed in scores. About 400 ambulance workers and more than twenty men and women doctors were quite unable to cope with the situation, and police were called on ta give first-aid. They had great difficulty in removing many of the victims from the crowd.

More than 300 people were overcome by the heat in Liverpool, where over 30,000 attended the laying of the foundation-stone of the new Roman Catholic Cathedral. Among those treated by the ambulance men was Monsignor Godfrey, rector of the English College in Home, who collapsed on the steps ot the altar. Forewarned by Sunday's experience -rwhen many children 111 the processions collapsed—the organisers had arranged for big forces of police, Boy Scouts and Girl Guides to augment the ambulance patrols. All were kept busy during the four-hour ceremony.

It was announced that, in view of th<* heat—the temperature reached 77 degrees—the Archbishop would not consider it an irreverence if the spectators retained their hats and remained seated Escape lrom London Streets The common desire of Londoners ta escape from parcned streets ami baiting squares to the comparative coolness of river, seaside and country taxed the resources of the railway ana coach services to the utmost. From stations serving the Thames Valley and the south coast "specials" left frequently, and ordinary services, although augmented by additional trains, were packed. Men in flannels and women in summer dresses stood in every carriage, and luggage racks were full of luncheon baskets and swimming kits. ' Equally great was the pressure at the coaching centres, where services to Staines, Windsor, Epping Forest and the downs of Surrey ana Kent were run in duplicate and triplicate. Long queues waited their turn at Poland Street, Oxford Circus and Charing Cross. Motorists in their thousands joined the cavalcade of cars which made ita way slowly along the main roads out of London. Many drove in open shirts. Car parks at well known beauty spots were inadequate. Old Thames boatmen who knew tne river in its pre-war glory recalled their youth when they gazed at the water carnival, with its kaleidoscope of colour and its medley of sound. "The river has come into its own again as London's playground," they ,said. "Every bpat is out; punts, rowing boats, launches and yachts. The people have come in their thousands this Whitsun. The river has never been so popular since the prosperous days before the war."

Reluctant Return Home The return home at night was slow and reluctant, where the departure had been swift and keen. It started as a trickle early in the evening, and it wm not until darkness fell that the 6cend was at its height. Standing on a hill overlooking any, long highway leading to London, onfl saw the line of headlights moving con« stantlv forward, with rarely a break* But it was a slow procession, where that of the morning nad been rapid. Motorists were obviously reluctant to terminate the holiday by hurryuitf unduly. _ , . The London road from Dorking wai crowded as it has never been before. Special constables were on duty regu« lating the traffic.