The Great Sea Floods of 1953

Stories, statistics and meticulous maps reveal new insights into forgotten rural history of 1953 East Coast Floods.

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John Trist, "Mr. Agriculture" to Suffolk's farming community, was a crucial figure after the East Coast Sea Flood, orchestrating agricultural land recovery. His dedication earned him an OBE. Presented here for the first time, transcriptions of Trist's own story, diary, and notes for an official report that was never made public, are enhanced by sixteen meticulous maps. Join Trist on a turbulent aerial survey of lost landscapes, touring flooded farms on Suffolk coastal, river marshes. Read how wildlife, crops, livestock suffered in the North Sea assault, and farmers mobilised workers in a 'battle of the breaches', alongside river board engineers. Delve into statistics and recovery policies to learn how farming was rescued and revived, amid fears for post-war national food security. Trist's heartfelt writing, astute observations and reflections, on this historically significant event reveal resilience and raise questions about governmental and personal responsibilities in climate crises.