This film is part of Free

Memorable Winter of 1947

For the Miller children in Mundesley, Norfolk the heavy snow of Feb 1947 meant sledging and snowballs but it presented different challenges for their father, the local GP.

Amateur film 1947 8 mins Silent

From the collection of:

Logo for East Anglian Film Archive

Overview

The winter of 1947 is reknowned as the coldest on record and the North Norfolk coast took the brunt of the arctic conditions with many villages cut off for days by drifting snow. For Dr and Mrs Hugh Miller, the snow brought mixed blessings of a winter playground for young Jean, Margaret and John but made his job as GP covering the area between Happisburgh and Overstrand even more of a challenge. A keen cine enthusiast, Dr Miller records these snowbound days.

This hardship came just 2 years after the end of the war and people were still experiencing rationing of food and fuel. Whilst Mundesley residents set to clear the drifts with shovels, local farmers brought out tractors to help but it was a while before normal service was resumed and the snow disappeared.