THE GREAT STORM / HURRICANE OF 16th/17TH OCTOBER 1987

Oh yes. Remember this. That night I put tape on the letterbox because it was keeping me awake. Then my work (British Telecom) pager went off summoning us to the exchange to start the generator. I remember crunching over roof tiles as I drove there. When daylight came a couple of us were sent to the Coastguard lookout to restore radio service, which was carried by telephone cable up a series of poles from Court Farm Rd. Whilst we were there the lifeboat was called out to a French fishing vessel that was in danger in the channel. The lifeboat had been helping pull a bunch of marina pontoons back from the ferry terminal where they had ended up after breaking adrift. Then, back to BT work, going to all the phone boxes in the area to make sure they were all working, and subsequently for the next couple of months working every day of the week to get phonelines back in service. Funny the things you remember. Chaos everywhere but I was sent to a little old lady in Peacehaven to fix her phone because her dial was sticking, and she had made the appointment the previous day.

On the previous evening to the storm at about 9pm, I went with my brother-in-law John Voakes, who as a crew member of the tug "Meeching" was called out to assist the docking of I believe was one of the car ferries.(can't be certain) However, the harbour was as calm as a millpond with no wind and totally silent, no seagulls and very eerie. Was this the calm before storm?