General Chat

Sometimes we were warned to stay indoors if at all possible it was that bad

Yes there was in the early 70's smokeless zones came in due to the 1968 clean air act but as these things take time to implement and time for people to gain access to cleaner fuels it didn't have a big affect on smog until the mid to late 70's

Roy

Roy you are absolutely spot on - particularly in heavily industrialised areas

Were you in London though Roy, because we certainly didn't have heavy smog, after '62

Was the thread about smog in London?

Actually I remember being in North London in the early 70s and experiencing smog

Where in the U.K were you in the 70's Roy?

Perhaps it returned when I left Errol I moved northwards in 1970 when oldest was born.

it would have been about 72 I guess

It never returned LG, yes we had fog, but not smog.

There were isolated incidences of smog

I walked to senior school in thick smogs. The taste was awful. Thinking about it brings the taste back.

We always had scarves to cover our mouths and noses. When you blew your nose it was like a soot fall.

Most people had chesty coughs through the smogs.

The era was the 60s, the place Walsall, part of the Black Country. Guess the reason why it was called that?

Every school day I walked past the Manor Hospital. Opposite the hospital was the canal. Along the canal was a series of foundries going past the hospital. The mist always hovered over the canal in winter and collected the smoke from the foundries and the houses.

What a healthy walk I had to get to school and for those in the hospital..

I was in Yorkshire surrounded by coal mines and other industries such as steel and in sight of several coal powered power stations

As Errol points out the thread title said, "Have you memories of smog?"

Roy

1963/4 OH and I were going home to Aberdeen from
Bicester on leave before OH went to Germany.
Had to cover sons nose and mouth with hankie he was
just months old. We had never seen smog before.

Emma

fortunately we never had smog in Cardiff

Norf lundun? that was a posh bit wasn't it? shoulda bin a bit darn sarf in the docklands area, enough factories there all contributing to the air pollution........not forgetting the railways, and the really inefficient diesel powered buses and lorries,

unlike today the particulates are so much finer, they work their way deeper into the lungs...............

I am Posh dontcha Know ;-) :-D :-D :-D

I expect the smog must have been a lot worse where there were factories, and those who had bad chests must of really suffered :-(

That was the reason I asked where you were Roy, as I know we didn't have smog in London in the 70's,so knew you must of been speaking about another part of the U.K.

Bob, I'm surprised smog even entered Norf London, as it's so posh , I reckon an East Ender must of let it in when we weren't looking :-D

Yes can remember smog and the awful sulpher taste and smell.
Hanging on to the garden walls, walking around and being completely disorientated, having no idea where I was or which direction I was heading. A big scarf was needed to cover my mouth and nose. It was eerie and lots of asthma and chest complaints (no wonder!).

I lived in London in the late 50's and travelled daily to Woolwich from Charing Cross. The thing I remember was the Lewisham train crash, because I should have been on that train - can't remember why I wasn't, but it was my lucky day.

I do not know if it was fog or smog - but can remember thinking it was funny I was sitting in a pushchair and could not see my feet and a scarf of my dad's was wrapped around my lower face covering nose and mouth.

That was on the Wirrall circa 1940