Description: The man in the rear of the canoe is William (Bill) Render, the other is his brother. Their father kept a grocery store on Main Street Bulwell and is one of the shops shown in photo NTGM006740. The photograph was taken during the severe winter of 1947. Exceptionally cold weather swept from Russia that year bringing snow and frost. As the snows melted, the River Derwent flooded into the River Trent, which then burst its banks at Wilford and West Bridgford. (The flood waters reached as far as Nottingham train station, and reached a record height of 79ft and 4 inches on the 19th of February.) The harsh weather came at a particularly bad time after the Second World War, when people were still suffering rationing and caused severe hardship for many. There are many photographs on this web site which record the snow, particularly in the Buxton, Derbyshire area, and the meltwater floods of the River Trent at West Bridgford. See DCBM000004 to DCBM000030 and NCCS000302 to NCCS000343. When the floods subsided the houses were in a terrible mess and the Canadian Airforce were called in with oil based blower dryers to help dry the houses out.