East Sussex has witnessed many striking events over the centuries, from the Battle of Hastings to the attempt by the IRA to kill Margaret Thatcher and her entire cabinet with a bomb in Brighton. In this fascinating new book a well-known Sussex author provides a vivid record of colourful and unusual happenings. He draws on rare photographs and old picture postcards to illuminate his intriguing array of disasters, celebrations, foul deeds and curiosities.
From the destuction by storm of Winchelsea in 1250 to the 1987 'hurricane' and the flooding in Lewes and Uckfield in 2000, the historical record reveals a surprising succession of strange weather events during the intervening centuries. Hundreds of ships have been wrecked or lost off the County’s coast. Several have their stories recounted, while tribute is paid to the men who man the lifeboats, including a dramatic launch at Hastings and the funeral of the crew of the Mary Stanford which foundered off Rye with the loss of every man on board.
Not all is doom and gloom, however. Although the author features fires, accidents and war (with a vast range of material at his disposal) he also finds room for happy occasions such as royal visits, grand openings and celebrations. In emphasising the gripping and remakable at the expense of the humdrum, he gives the reader an entertaining overview of what has 'made the headlines', good and bad, for many generations of East Sussex folk.
