"Martin Rowley" wrote in
message ...
The following two examples (amongst many) to put the Boscastle
flood
into perspective:

http://www.dundee.ac.uk/geography/cbhe/

note the 1957 event in particular ... remarkably similar.


1957
"In 1957 there was a terrible flood. There had been continuous
torrential rain which came down the Valency River from the moors
and
hills. The power of the water damaged the top bridge [in
Boscastle] and
flooded surrounding cottages and shops. People were trapped and
had to
be rescued from their homes. Charlie Berryman, the local
bandmaster,
drowned when he fell in trying to retrieve a chair. "The first
warning
was given by Mrs Elizabeth Whitehouse who was riding her horse up
the
valley, saw the rivers coming and galloped to give advance
warning. It
came with such a rush, like a huge wave, that no-one had a chance
to get
furniture out of their rooms. Miss Rachel Beadon was in the call
box at
the end of the bridge ringing Norman Webber to ask for help, the
flood
came on so fast that she could not get out...and two of the young
fishermen crawled across on the parapet of the bridge with a rope
and
rescued her. The river overflowed into the whole of the Valency
Valley ,
over the lawns and into cottages, shops and garage, many household
items
and furniture were washed into the sea."


This is a brilliant resource. Thanks for the link, Martin.

The isohyetal (rainfall) map referred to in the U.Dundee data-base,
while rather speculative, indicates an area more than 2km x 1km
just east of Camelford receiving over 9 in (229mm). The northern
edge of the map just reaches the southernmost portion of the
Valency catchment and suggests at the very least 7in (178mm)
here.

Part of the MetMag article not quoted, but which is very
interesting and emphasises the complex relationship between
rainfall, river catchments, and consequent floods, says this:

"... previous floods at Camelford, in particular that of August 30,
1950, which was much more serious than the 1957 flood though
the rainfall was very much less and did not give rise to any
measured fall of as much as 2in. The conclusion reached is that
if the location of the heaviest rainfall on June 8,1957, had been
displaced by only 1 to 2 miles to the northwest or north,
the damage in Camelford itself would have been disastrous
and might have been accompanied by serious casualties or
loss of life."

Philip Eden