Leeds storm, 1961

Telstar · Post by **Telstar** » Fri 17 Oct, 2008 9:27 pm

Hi. Does anyone remember the great storm of Leeds in 1961 ? It was more like a hurricane, similar to that of the one in 1987 that caused damage to south-east England, which I also experienced when staying in Aldeburgh, Suffolk.In 1961, I was living in Lulworth Crescent, Leeds 15 with my parents. During one night, we were woken by very strong winds that did a lot of damage to roof tiles, chimneys, tv aerials, etc. We were lucky that we only had damage to our ridge tiles, but others were not so lucky. It was quite a frightening experience at the time.I wonder if it was the same year that damage was done to the church spire on St.George's church in Leeds, and also to the roof on the old City railway station ?

ceejaylufc · Post by **ceejaylufc** » Fri 17 Oct, 2008 10:27 pm

I don't remember it as such, being only 3 months old, but my parents told me I took part in it - I was in the back bedroom of my parents house in Shakespeare Street and the chimney fell into the bedroom - there was a picture somewhere of me being rescued by the firemen !!

amber · Post by **amber** » Fri 17 Oct, 2008 11:27 pm

Yes our chimney came through the roof into spare bedroom no one in it. It was rebuilt by the infamous Black Panther from who we rented the house from.

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Sat 18 Oct, 2008 9:32 am

amber wrote: Yes our chimney came through the roof into spare bedroom no one in it. It was rebuilt by the infamous Black Panther from who we rented the house from. Amber, was that the brute Neilson??)who lived n Leeds Road Thornbury near to the big roundaboout, and who murdered the coach heiress Leslie Whittle in Shropshire ?? One of the LCT drivers at Bramley had bought a house from him before he became notorious.

Trojan · Post by **Trojan** » Sat 18 Oct, 2008 2:37 pm

BLAKEY wrote: amber wrote: Yes our chimney came through the roof into spare bedroom no one in it. It was rebuilt by the infamous Black Panther from who we rented the house from. Amber, was that the brute Neilson??)who lived n Leeds Road Thornbury near to the big roundaboout, and who murdered the coach heiress Leslie Whittle in Shropshire ?? One of the LCT drivers at Bramley had bought a house from him before he became notorious. He was from Morley and in the late sixties in and Morley there were a spate of burglaries named the "brace and bit" burglaries because of the method of entry - these were thought to be the work of Neilson (Black Panther) Whose real name was Nappy, there were a family of called Nappy who lived behind Woolworth's (Yorkshire Bank) in Morley, whether he was one of them I don't know but it's an unusual name.

LS1 · Post by **LS1** » Sat 18 Oct, 2008 9:59 pm

did he ever commit a murder in the house on Leeds Road near the Thornbury roundabout. My grandpa worked in Bradford and tole me the house was unsold for years because of him. Not sure if it was just because he had lived there, or whether anything sinister happened there.

Trojan · Post by **Trojan** » Sun 19 Oct, 2008 11:11 am

LS1 wrote: did he ever commit a murder in the house on Leeds Road near the Thornbury roundabout. My grandpa worked in Bradford and tole me the house was unsold for years because of him. Not sure if it was just because he had lived there, or whether anything sinister happened there. I think he lived there.

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Sun 19 Oct, 2008 2:40 pm

Trojan wrote: LS1 wrote: did he ever commit a murder in the house on Leeds Road near the Thornbury roundabout. My grandpa worked in Bradford and tole me the house was unsold for years because of him. Not sure if it was just because he had lived there, or whether anything sinister happened there. I think he lived there. Yes, I think he must have lived there. I once had a barber who had been in the nearby pub on the end of that row of houses. He told me of a really weird experience in a narrow passageway in the pub, where a man was reading a book just beneath a shelf on which there was a full pint. Seemingly my barber had accidentally knocked the pint and it had drenched the book reader - the barber had begun to apologise profusely and offer to buy a fresh pint when the strange man, without a word, stood up and left the pub without a glance or a word. It was the Panther !!

Lilysmum · Post by **Lilysmum** » Sun 19 Oct, 2008 7:46 pm

Donald Neilson was from Bradford originally but at the time of his arrest lived at Grangefield Ave.Leeds. In 1976 he was given 5 life sentences for the murder of four sub-postmasters shot during robberies and the kidnapp and murder of heiress Lesley Whittle and told he would never be released. He is now dying of motor neurone disease.

LS1 · Post by **LS1** » Sun 19 Oct, 2008 8:15 pm

So are we thinking the connection is that he just lived there and travelled south do commit the horrendus crime?