My Coldest memory

[Wise Owl]

Over Xmas and January 81 - 82 my first full year in the building trade had ended. I can remember laying in bed 17 years old thinking im getting picked up in half hour to go and Freeze my nuts of on a Laing site Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Probably now why i dont mind the cold weather so much.

Whats your coldest memories ?

December 1981-January 1982

December 1981 and January 1982 contained some of the coldest, snowiest and severest winter weather ever recorded in the UKThe coldest December since 1890 and the snowiest since 1878, December 1981 with a CET of 0.3 was one of the severest winter months of the 20th Century and yet it began mild an...

www.netweather.tv

 

[warrington63]

Winter of 63 was cold, but being kids we didnt notice it, just wanted to get out and have fun, watering pavements to make a slide, snowball fights,
I was driving back and to from Warrington to Nantwich every day winter of 81/82
That was a cold one.

 

[Wise Owl]

Winter of 63 was cold, but being kids we didnt notice it, just wanted to get out and have fun, watering pavements to make a slide, snowball fights,
I was driving back and to from Warrington to Nantwich every day winter of 81/82
That was a cold one.

I was due back at Leeds College of Building for 3 months Block Release and to be honest it couldnt come quick enough, an extra hour in bed warm College same Money and i could double my Wage helping my Mentor on a Guvvy after work or Saturday Morning in warm Private houses,, with tea and Biscuits .

 

[mickthechippy]

1966,

the first winter when we returned to the UK from Malta

I had never seen snow and was used to running around semi naked most of the year, just shorts and flip flops

I asked my mum, "When were we going Home"

she replied, "We are Home"

ultra culture shock to a young kid !

 

[Wise Owl]

1966,

the first winter when we returned to the UK from Malta

I had never seen snow and was used to running around semi naked most of the year, just shorts and flip flops

I asked my mum, "When were we going Home"

she replied, "We are Home"

ultra culture shock to a young kid !

Where were ya Working or what on in the winter of 81 - 82 ?

 

[mickthechippy]

Where were ya Working or what on in the winter of 81 - 82 ?

might a been the chunnel, on the main rainwater relief tunnel going from the main site to the sea, weather didnt matter, I was underground most the time on 12 hour shifts

and the workin conditions were worse than above ground, a lot of it was going through sandy-loose wet ground and it had to be sub terrain frozen to minus 32 degrees, we had 6 inches of frost on the concrete rings

 

[Wise Owl]

might a been the chunnel, on the main rainwater relief tunnel going from the main site to the sea, weather didnt matter, I was underground most the time on 12 hour shifts

and the workin conditions were worse than above ground, a lot of it was going through sandy-loose wet ground and it had to be sub terrain frozen to minus 32 degrees, we had 6 inches of frost on the concrete rings

A few of my mates worked in the Yorkshire Coldstore loading the Wagons with frozen Foods, they were in and outta Freezers all day so they didnt know no difference either

 

[Swim Jim]

Just started work @ Cammell Lairds shipyard 1981. in December all the apprentices had to go on an outward bounds course in Aberdovey North Wales.
We spent one night camping up Cader Idris. The following morning the instructor informed us that it had been
- 12c in the night, the tents were as stiff as cardboard. Longest coldest night of my life never slept a wink. A couple of days later they had us jumping off the pier into the sea!!!

 

[62tucker]

Think I was on a window job. 8 joiners (4 x2 squads ) I had to loads window into gardens. Wood windows and we were taking out metal framed ones. And clean up afterwards. I was only labourer and 1 gaffa. Still single glazed and the tenants won’t happy getting windows knocked out when it was freezing.
Remember the doors with the glass with the wire in. The local allotments done well out of that job. Metal frame greenhouses and front door fences

 

[nejohn]

Over Xmas and January 81 - 82 my first full year in the building trade had ended. I can remember laying in bed 17 years old thinking im getting picked up in half hour to go and Freeze my nuts of on a Laing site Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Probably now why i dont mind the cold weather so much.

Whats your coldest memories ?

December 1981-January 1982

December 1981 and January 1982 contained some of the coldest, snowiest and severest winter weather ever recorded in the UKThe coldest December since 1890 and the snowiest since 1878, December 1981 with a CET of 0.3 was one of the severest winter months of the 20th Century and yet it began mild an...

www.netweather.tv

Me and a couple of Friends fished through that cold spell, we found an area on the river Tees that had a hot water outlet which kept a channel ice free for about 50 yards, but to fish it we had to go out on the ice, I fished the upstream end and my 2 friends fished around the bend further downstream. At one point I went to chat to my friends while having a hot drink and left my kit laying on the ice, about 5 minutes later a woman dog walker came running round the bend in a panic saying a fisherman had fallen through the ice..as his rod and other kit were there but there was no sign of the fisherman..!! it took us a while to explain but she did finally get it and had a good laugh.

It wasn't the coldest I have ever been though as my work often takes me to some pretty wild places, I have had a few nights sat in the back of a transit van on Otterburn firing range needing to scrape the ice off my laptop screen they were cold but few years ago I had the pleasure of the British army training ground in Alberta Canada in February, we were setting high speed cameras up on a 4 metre high scaffolding tower the snow was blowing sideways and the wind chill was -31....it took about 2 days to thaw my hands out after that

 

[Tenacious Sloth]

Mid 1980s. On a X-Country Skiing Expedition in the Norwegian mountains, sleeping in snow holes, back in my military days.

The temperature was -42 deg C and you couldn’t breathe through your nose as your nostrils would freeze up. Chuck a cup of coffee up in the air and it would change instantly into tiny crystals and disperse on thw wind, without ever touching the ground. Saw the Northern Lights most nights. Great days.

At the opposite end of the scale, +42 deg C in the middle of the Omani desert during the first Gulf War. Not so great days.

 

[Chervil]

Diving into Port Stanley Harbour in the Falklands after a raft race. At the time it seemed like a good idea to get back to the shore, but I instantly realised it was a big mistake. My nuts didn't reappear for about a week.

 

[RedhillPhil]

I really don't like the cold. The older that I get the more I dislike it. It doesn't stop me fishing - I just get really layered up. I fished in the Warwickshire Avon in the winter of 1963/4 which was a particularly cold one. I went to wind in and the reel handle wouldn't turn. I thought that the reel had jammed but it was the line frozen in the top ring. Brrrrrr!

 

[gingert76]

i was in Toronto on business over 10 years ago and it was forecast as -20 with the wind chill, wasnt outside much but it was bloody freezing even in just a few seconds, coldest weather i have ever experienced

 

[Godber]

Diving into Port Stanley Harbour in the Falklands after a raft race. At the time it seemed like a good idea to get back to the shore, but I instantly realised it was a big mistake. My nuts didn't reappear for about a week.


View attachment 94070

I went for a dip in the South Atlantic off Pembroke point where the light house is, lovely warm day, why not!!! ......not one of my better decisions. I went in and straight out again

 

[bluemack]

Mmmm,that will be when i first got into bed with my Mrs.

 

[Chervil]

I went for a dip in the South Atlantic off Pembroke point where the light house is, lovely warm day, why not!!! ......not one of my better decisions. I went in and straight out again

Had a quick look at the water temps, it would have been just above 0!

 

[mickthechippy]

Diving into Port Stanley Harbour in the Falklands after a raft race. At the time it seemed like a good idea to get back to the shore, but I instantly realised it was a big mistake. My nuts didn't reappear for about a week.


View attachment 94070

my brother was out there with port squadron RCT, they lived in shipping containers

he showed us the photos of the place, what a desolute looking spot that is

 

[Chervil]

my brother was out there with port squadron RCT, they lived in shipping containers

he showed us the photos of the place, what a desolute looking spot that is

I must admit, I can see the attraction of it for some people. When we were down there, mid 80s, there were about 1800 people in a place the size of Wales, so some very isolated communities and single houses. Some were very remote with no road access, just a boat that called in every 6 months.
I was lucky, that given my role, we got out and saw the locals most days. Oh and no tress and just about endless high winds.

 

[roachman 1960]

working in a refrigerated freezer warehouse at Pukka Pies on a 1 week on site maintenance electrical engineer , couldnt touch the metalwork without gooves on without sticking to it lol