On The Beach

[rathbone]

[rathbone]

On the afternoon of 7 August 1948 high seas battered Portobello beach.

Parts of the Promenade were swept by the heavy seas which ran high for over three hours.The railings in front of the Fun City were carried away. Seaweed and rubbish was strewn about many of the streets.

People who risked running along the Promenade were almost washed away. A dog was caught by the sea and drowned. A small boy who was standing on the incline at the foot of Bath Street was pulled into the water by the backwash and narrowly escaped death, the succeeding wave fortunately carrying him in again.

Many premises along the water front were flooded. A shopkeeper locked his door to keep the water out, but the sea burst the door open, flooding the shop. By eight o’clock the rough seas had abated and the worst was over.

Although the seas had calmed a lot by the Sunday afternoon they were running just as high. Many parts of the Promenade were covered with sand and sea coal.

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[rathbone]

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