Flood survivors re-unite to commemorate victims of natural disaster

Sixty years ago, the East Coast was devastated by some of the worst flooding in recent memory, as sea water swept two miles inland, claiming 307 lives. Many more died on the continent and at sea.

Today, the Princess Royal will attend a special service at Chelmsford Cathedral, with representatives from the Netherlands where 1,800 people died, to mark the anniversary. Smaller acts of remembrance will take place across Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex.

Essex County Council leader Peter Martin said: “The flood disaster of 1953 was a tragic and terrible point in Essex’s history, but it nonetheless is a tremendously important event that we should remember.”

In Hunstanton, Norfolk, an event will be held to honour the late Reis Leming, a 22-year-old American airman who became the hero of the hour when the floods struck. Despite being unable to swim, he braved the waves and freezing temperatures to single-handedly rescue 27 people, later becoming the first non-Briton to win the George Medal for bravery in peacetime.