Remembering when the wind blew

FIFTEEN years ago this month England was hit by a hurricane – an unpredicted force that tore shreds out of Suffolk.

On the night of October 16/17, 1987, Suffolk suffered a chaotic mass of felled trees, twisted metal and fallen masonry as the storm swept across the county.

And this was just hours after weatherman Michael Fish famously told the nation that a woman had called the BBC to say she'd heard a hurricane was on the way. He assured viewers there was no need to worry as there wasn't!

But there was – and Suffolk was transformed in to a scene of mayhem with uprooted trees blocking roads, extensive damage to many buildings and cars and other vehicles flipped over like toys.

Fifteen years on, we will be looking back on the Great Storm of 1987 – one of those rare events which everyone remembers what they were doing.

So tell us you memories.

Many of you will have had damage to property and cars – but what do you remember of other incidents connected to this upheaval.

Rendlesham Forest took a real beating with hundreds of trees succumbing to the storm while Christchurch Park was also badly hit.

Foxhall Stadium, Ipswich Airport, Shotley Marina and the Orwell Bridge were also affected – as was Felixstowe Port, which was closed for several days.

Maybe you were one of thousands of school children across the county who woke that morning to discover they had a day off school. Or maybe your lasting memory of the storm and the following days was the astonishing community spirit which Suffolk showed in getting itself back to normal again.

Whatever your memories – let us know.

Send your letters – to arrive by first post Monday – to: Hurricane Memories, Evening Star Newsdesk, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail starnews@eveningstar.co.uk