How Pembrokeshire dug deep to survive the great snow of 1982

In the aftermath of the blizzards, which hit the county on January 7th, 1982, thousands of homes were cut off from power, villages were left isolated, and roads impassable.

Some families were stranded without light, heating, water or telephones for more than a week, while others, particularly in the Dale peninsula, Angle and Porthgain, got essential supplies by water.

Three emergency centres were set up in Haverfordwest, Milford Haven and Fishguard.

The Fishguard centre, was set up in the town's Market Hall by Brian Maddocks, who at the time worked for Preseli District Council.

Mr Maddocks, now head of maintenance at Pembrokeshire County Council, liaised with the Fishguard lifeboat, which delivered bread and medication to a baby in Porthgain.

He said: "The county really came together. We were helping the elderly and housebound, shovelling snow and trying to get supplies.

"We set up heaters and scaffolding at the hall, and when the thaw came, we were drying carpets for people."

Ambulances and fire crews came to a halt in the snow, which had drifted 18 feet high in some remote places, and farmers and garages came forward with four-wheel drive vehicles to help.

In Cardigan, an ambulance became stuck in a six-foot drift while going to the aid of farmer Tudor Lewis at Verwig.

In Brynberian farmer Benny Thomas was cut off by 18 feet snowdrifts in the Preselis, and had only found 15 sheep from his flock of 200.

Ice-bound communities were dropped supplies by helicopter crews from RAF Brawdy including 300 loaves of bread to Solva and 180 disposable nappies to families in Freshwater East.

A week after the blizzards began, the RAF reported they had dealt with eight pregnancies, flown 24 casualties to hospital and supplied four villages with food.

And for those who could get to the shops, supplies were increasingly hard to come by. Queues formed outside food shops to snap up essentials like bread, bottled gas and candles.

And as supplies ran low, some shoppers became abusive and shopkeepers struggled to contain fights.

But the minister at St Mary’s Catholic Church, in Pembroke Dock, kept the peace by giving out alter candles to stranded residents.

Bread provisions were topped up by police officers, who helped deliver two eight-ton loads of yeast to Haverfordwest bakeries, lorry got stranded on the M4.

But milk supplies to the three main dairies in Haverfordwest, Whitland and Newcastle Emlyn, dropped from the usual 500,000 a day to about 10,000.

A week after blizzards began, 300 consumers in Pembrokeshire were still without power, while Penally, Manorbier, St Florence and Crundale went without water.

And at the end of it all, South Wales Electricity Board faced a £25,000 bill for the hire of helicopters, which ferried workmen and equipment to damaged electricity lines in Pembrokeshire, and Pembrokeshire rate payers faced a bill for £1million.

Your stories

“I was 16 years old and living in Tiers Cross. I can remember being snowed in for at least ten days without electricity and the windows of the house were frozen on the inside.

“I remember my dad and my two younger sisters walking to Milford Haven and back to fetch groceries, a round trip of ten miles.

“It was great for us children being off school, spending every daylight hour playing and sledging in the snow. Back then we didn’t have all that fancy ski wear, the worst thing was constantly having wet soggy clothes and snow wedged down in our wellies.”

‘William1’ via westerntelegraph.co.uk.

“I was stationed at Brawdy and lived on the Cerbyd Moor, near St Davids. The entire front of the house was covered with a drift, the only way I could get out was out of the second floor bedroom window.

“I had seven large tanks of tropical fish and spent most of my time heating water on a gas camp stove to keep them from dying.

“After five days, I walked to a small store on the Fishguard to St Davids Road to buy some supplies. I am eternally grateful to the shopkeeper for accepting American money, as I had no pound notes.”

Herb Poelvoorde, who retired from the US Navy and moved to Hawaii.

“My son Ben, who was six, and I lived in a very small house along Main Street, Pembroke, where we had a gas cooker in the kitchen, which we had to leave on 24/7 to keep the ice out.

“We had relatives from Australia staying, and their kids, aged five and nine, had never seen snow before, and couldn’t believe their luck!

“I remember how beautiful Pembroke looked covered in snow, what fun it was making snowmen, chucking snowballs at anyone who passed, and in the evening, snuggling up together in front of the fire, reading stories by candlelight and feeling very lucky, safe, and privileged to be so cosy.

“Bud and Frankie Small were popular Cross Saws pub landlords, on Main Street. They set up oil heaters in the bar and opened the pub all day, welcoming anyone passing inside for a warm up and a hot bowl of cawl.”

Melissa Howells, Pembroke.

“We were living on a smallholding and were cut off by road for about ten days. My husband rode my horse over to a neighbouring dairy farm to get milk and I was able to bake bread due to having a Calor gas cooker.

“We managed with a woodburning stove and water fetched from the main farmhouse next door, and by candlelight.

“I can remember exercising my horses in the farm yard and the sound of them cantering over crisp snow in brilliant sunshine and the setting sun reflected on its snowy slopes. It was so beautiful.

“My daughters, now in their 30s, still say it was one of the best things about living on the farm and one of their best ever memories of childhood.”

Shirley Matthews, Haverfordwest.

“I had a premature baby called Sian, on December 26th, 1981, and the snow made it difficult to travel to Withybush Hospital to see her.

“We were helped to get to the hospital by Wilfred Mason, of Mason Brothers, in Lampeter Velfrey. I remember quite clearly travelling to the hospital in a bone-shaker of an old yellow Landrover, which reeked of engine oil and diesel.

“How grateful we were, and how the old lady flew along through the snow and ice, without any difficulty at all.”

Helen Roberts, Lampeter Velfrey.

I was 12 (42 now) and what I remember is being able to stand on the top of cars that were buried under the snow and being able to almost touch the street lights due to the drifting snow. We had no power so we as a family made do with torches, candles and games of cards. But looking back even without the power, it was fun! I was a bit too young then to realise the inconvenience it caused to others.

‘Shar212’ via westerntelegraph.co.uk.

“On the day the snow began, which was a Thursday, I was picked up from my home in Amroth, and taken to work in Pembroke by my boss Mike Rowlands.

“I didn’t get home until Sunday night, after four trips in a JCB. The roads were impassable.”

Pembrokeshire County Council supervisor John Arthur, Templeton.

I grew up near St. Ishmaels and remember the snow of 1982 as a wonderful adventure. I was nine and found the hardships great fun! We were warm and even had some hot water thanks to our Rayburn and an open fire. We spent our days sledging (on surf boards, no posh sledges), and digging sheep out of hedges. We saved hundreds of sheep. We kept animals ourselves, my poor father walked miles to get animal feed, dragging it behind him over the enormous snow drifts. I remember holding onto telegraph wires the drifts were so high. He was also part of the great digging out, walking into Haverfordwest to play his part in the massive task. He was away for a few days, we had no idea where he was, if he’d made it and when he was coming home. But, despite the lack of food, hard work and anxiety I remember the time with great affection - it seemed to bring out the best in us all.

Elizabeth Edgington.

If you remember the great snow of 1982, get in touch at wtnews@westerntelegraph.co.uk and include your name, age and where you are from along with a contact number.

Alternatively phone the newsroom on 01437 761767.