The Great Snowfall – 25 April 1908

After the people of Southampton had risen from their beds on the morning of 25 April 1908, many would have opened their doors to a veritable winter wonderland. It was a sudden and heavy blizzard that completely covered the entire town in a thick blanket of snow. May was less than a week away, and whilst some would have been thinking of spring and maypole dances, Southampton at the end of April looked more like something from a Christmas card.

The April of 1908 was a cold month and other parts of the country had already seen snow. The 21 April edition of The Scotsman reported: ‘The weather conditions for the Easter Holiday were very unfavourable. In London, between spells of bright sunshine, there were heavy snow showers with cold winds. On parts of the Midlands snow fell to a considerable depth, and in the early morning there was severe frost.’ Snow had also disrupted play between Surrey and the Gentlemen of England XI at the Oval in London on 20 April. The spectators present that day not only witnessed W. G. Grace’s final first-class cricket match, but they would have also seen the legendary cricketer scamper for shelter as snow began to fall again about half an hour into the match. Meanwhile, snow continued to fall across the country and on 25 April, it was Southampton’s turn to bear the brunt of it.

25 April 1908 was a Saturday. Those who had risen at daybreak would have found a light dusting of snow on the ground, but by breakfast the entire town was covered as a result of a sudden blizzard. Huge flakes of snow continued to fall throughout the morning and before long, the entire town was completely blanketed. ‘In a word the town was changed from the bustling business-place we know on Saturday mornings to a fairy world. Vast unbroken fields of driven snow of varying depths filled the suburban streets from end to end. The ordinary life of the people was stopped. The milk carts looked like fairy chariots with which fancy endows Santa Claus; all the horses were white; their drivers like animated snow men,’ reported the Southern Echo later that evening. ‘It is necessary to go back to the ‘eighties for a comparison with the phenomenal aspect of affairs, in a climatic sense, to which Southampton awoke this morning,’ reported the newspaper. Indeed, the country had seen heavy snow over the course of several months back in 1885 and 1886.

The snow disrupted businesses and transport services alike. People were forced to dig their way out of their homes and dodge the snow that fell from roofs. They soon found that they were, in some places, up to their knees in snow, and men were seen huddled at places of cover, lowering their caps over their eyes, before forging ahead through the snow. It would have been no use catching a tram. The blizzard had thrown the entire tram system into disarray. Trams had set off on their routes whilst the snow was still light, but the blizzard had then caused their tracks to be blocked. Many trams were left stranded, despite the efforts of their crew. ‘At intervals one came across tram cars, inert and helpless, covered with a dead weight of snow… The crew of the cars slaved valiantly to dig their charges out, being assisted by the Corporation workmen, and when they had reduced the impeding mass the power was turned on. A grinding hum followed as the wheels commenced to resolve, but there was no bite, and after a few yards at a crawling pace, the cars stopped, though the grinding of wheels continued,’ reported the Southern Echo.

The newspaper described the Avenue as ‘fairyland’ and noted how the trees that lined the road stood bowed down under the weight of the snow. Errand boys were seen ‘disconsolately’ pushing their bicycles through the snow, which came up to the hubs, and on Southampton High Street, business owners and shop workers tried desperately to clear a path in front of their shops. The Southern Echo reported that they were armed with spades and brooms ‘and all the while the blizzard continued, blowing the flake into the eyes and hair, until young men with moustaches looked like grizzled men of the world with whitened hirsute adornment.’

Whilst the snow proved to be an inconvenience to the shopkeepers and the errand boys, the children of Southampton rejoiced in the ‘fairyland’ that the snow had created. They weren’t the only ones, for adults also joined in the fun. ‘The joyous snowballing of past winters were remembered, and grown men cast aside the decorum of the years, and snowballed each other with the zest of youth,’ reported the Southern Echo. The reporter chanced upon a group of French people who had just arrived in Southampton, ‘and their look of blank astonishment at the wintry condition of affairs brought a smile to the lips of all who saw them.’

For some, it was all fun and games. For others, the snow was a destructive and expensive nuisance. The sudden snowfall damaged guttering, drainpipes, greenhouses, and conservatories.

The snow caused much disruption in the docks and the situation there was serious. In some places, the snow was over two feet deep and it threw the entire dock operation into chaos. Work ground to a halt in many places, and dock labourers had to dig passageways between the various offices. RMS Avon was due to arrive from Buenos Aires (via Cherbourg) at one o’clock that afternoon, but due to delays caused by the extreme weather, she did not arrive until the following morning.

Despite the weather, SS Saint Paul did manage to leave Southampton on that Saturday afternoon, during a break in the snow. Owing to the conditions, the train that was carrying mail for the voyage was around half an hour late and this delayed Saint Paul‘s departure. Soon after leaving the port, her officers found themselves caught ‘in the teeth of a biting, blinding blizzard’ in the Solent. The sudden snowstorm meant that visibility was reduced, the sea was rough, and the wind was strong. Saint Paul attempted to push through the blizzard but suddenly, out of nowhere, the grey hull of HMS Gladiator emerged into view. There was a collision, a glancing blow that ripped open the sides of both ships. Saint Paul remained afloat and immediately began lowering her lifeboats. The captain of the Arrogant-class Royal Navy cruiser tried to take his vessel towards shore, but she soon foundered. An eye-witness described Gladiator’s sailors scrambling to safety ‘like a swarm of flies’ and many were picked up by the lifeboats. The cruiser eventually ‘turned turtle’ and capsized. Approximately thirty Royal Navy sailors from the crew of HMS Gladiator lost their lives as a result of the collision. Saint Paul was able to limp back to Southampton. Ten of the ship’s twenty-five first-class passengers checked into the luxurious South Western Hotel that evening, where some were interviewed about their experience. One man, who was returning home to New York with his wife, was thrown from his chair in the smoking room when the ships collided. He ran to the deck where the snow was ‘driving thickly’ across the ship. “It was a sight I can never forget,” he said of the whole incident.

Back in Southampton, many people would have been unaware of the disaster that just had occurred in the Solent. People continued to clear the snow, while others enjoyed their snowball fights. Southampton Football Club were due to welcome Queen’s Park Rangers to the Dell that afternoon, but the match had to be abandoned because the pitch was covered by two to three feet of snow. It was the first time that the Saints, who had been founded in 1885, had been forced to postpone a game because of snow.

The football fans might have been disappointed, but other folk found alternative ways to entertain themselves. Three men had to appear in court as a result of being drunk on that snowy day. Perhaps they had sought refuge in the warmth of a pub and stayed there a little too long? Arthur Tackley, a ship’s fireman, was found drunk on Bernard Street. William Parker, a labourer, was drunk and disorderly on St Mary Street. Finally, James Swanton, a seaman, was charged with the same offence on Above Bar Street. Tackley and Parker were given the option of a fine or a short spell in prison, and Swanton was eventually discharged.

The snow was eventually cleared from the pathways and roads, or it melted away, but it took some time. The Southampton Corporation – essentially the town council – came under some criticism from both the public and the press for their failure to clear the snow.

On Sunday 26 April, the day after the blizzard, Patrick Tracy, of 64 Archers Road, wrote to the Southern Echo to voice his displeasure about the situation. Tracy claimed that during the previous evening, at about seven o’clock, a police constable had knocked on his door and told him (‘very civilly’) that he must at once clear the snow from the footpath in front of his house, or else he would have to stand before the magistrates for contravening a bye-law. Tracy joined his neighbours in the street and after clearing the paths, they ‘congratulated one another that not alone did we pay rates, but also worked for the Corporation.’

However, on the morning of the 26th, Tracy was dismayed to discover that many householders had not bothered to clear the paths in front of their houses, and he claimed that he would pay close attention to the newspaper’s police court section to see if those who had ignored the constable would indeed be summoned, as he had been warned. Furthermore, Tracy believed the greatest ‘sinners’ were the Southampton Corporation themselves, who had left knee-deep snow covering their pathways and crossings. The churchgoers on that Sunday morning, Tracy said, were forced to walk along the tramlines.

Although this was the only letter the Southern Echo published in their correspondence section on 27 April, the editor noted that letters were ‘coming in wholesale’ with reference to the neglect in the removal of the snow from the snowstorm that had happened two days earlier. There had been numerous complaints from tradesman, who referenced the loss of trade that had been caused by the state of the paths. ‘Even when there was a partial clearance it was impossible to reach the trams, owing to the piled-up snow. The Corporation carts, instead of paying attention to the public thoroughfares, were actually engaged carting away snow from the Parks as late as this morning, and, while admitting that the downfall was phenomenal, our correspondents consider that more energetic measures should have been taken in the public interest to cope with the exceptional situation,’ the editor wrote.

The snowstorm of 25 April 1908 was a remarkable one. Not just because of the springtime date, but because of the ferociousness of the blizzard, and the amount of snow that fell. However, some things do not change. I always think that snow looks nice but ultimately, it is a complete nuisance. Based on the reports, I am sure that our ancestors and relatives in 1908 would have probably said the same thing.