The Lynmouth DisasterThe rivers of Exmoor flow down to the seaThrough the village of Lynmouth in a steep wooded lee. On the 15th of August , the year fifty two, I’ll tell you a story both tragic and true. The rivers were coping with the rainfall so high When a cloud burst on Exmoor from a storm laden sky So remember the village that lies in the lee Where the rivers of Exmoor flow down to the sea. Millions of gallons fell on that day The rivers can’t cope so the banks wash away. Tree stumps and boulders are lifted with ease What hope for the village that lies in the trees The people are worried, the warnings go round Some leave their houses to seek higher ground So remember the village that lies in the lee Where the rivers of Exmoor flow down to the sea. High above Lynmouth the Valley gets steep The water burst over some thirty feet deep It tore through the village with terrible force Destroying the houses that lay in its course The Lynmouth disaster took thirty four lives Old ones and young ones, husbands and wives So remember the village that lies in the lee Where the rivers of Exmoor flow down to the sea. A vision of wreckage was left as the dawn Rose over Exmoor on that valley forlorn. Nature’s destruction, how mighty thy sting Though time has gone by still to old minds it brings Memories of loved ones lost on that night When the quiet streams of Exmoor revealed their true might So remember the village that lies in the lee Where the rivers of Exmoor flow down to the sea. So here’s to the village that lies in the lee Where the rivers of Exmoor flow down to the sea. Words by Monica Deverill |