Great Storm 1987

The electricity supplier usually operated with approximately 230 employees.

Trees blown over by the 1987 Great Storm

However, when the strong winds hit on 16 October 1987 reinforcements were deemed essential as felled trees brought down power lines and pylons themselves were blown over.

Extra help was drafted in from other electric boards, tree cutters, the army and contractors.

By the end of the emergency the number of staff had risen by over 300 per cent - to 700.

A tribute

Eastern Electricity's role in the clear up operation is documented in a video produced by the company and distributed amongst its staff, for a small cost.

Rex Allen from Ipswich was a meter reader at the time and purchased one of the videos which is presented on this page.

As the narration says, the video is a "tribute to the men and the women of Eastern Electricity at Ipswich, who in many cases left their families for many days, in damaged homes, without electricity.

"And also their colleagues, from almost every electricity board in the country who came to help. They started as welcome strangers but became firm friends."

Mr Hitchcock

Helicopter footage on the video highlights how severe the storm was, with aerial shots showing forests where 95 per cent of the trees have been blown over.

The video also touches on the people directly effected by a loss of electricity. Ninety-two-year-old Mr Hitchcock is interviewed shortly after having his power restored after a six day absence.

"I think you've done jolly well," Mr Hitchcock tells the Eastern Electricity camera crew.

"I had some help. Sitting here with two candles, and luckily I've got the radio. I was glad to get into bed."

Team effort

Jon Dyer, Eastern Electricity Area Manager at the time, says the staff based in the office in Fore Hamlet, Ipswich, coordinated the equivalent of two years' worth of repairs and praises the unity of what was a quickly assembled team.

"It has been estimated that approximately two years' faults occurred in just a few hours," Mr Dyers says.

"If the staff at Ipswich had had to deal with those faults by themselves it would have taken many months to restore supplies to all of our customers.

"Fortunately they did not have to. The generous help we had from other parts of Eastern Electricity, from other boards, from contractors, from the army, from the Forestry Commission and others helped to clear and restore supplies in just 10 days.

"At Ipswich the staff worked long hours in very arduous conditions. Those who organised events, the engineers and industrial staff who carried out repairs, the office staff, the canteen staff and the others, all worked exceptionally hard during those days.

"No praise is high enough for their efforts."