Flixborough 1974 Memories – Jacquie Carter Irving
I was born and grew up in our family home, the last on Ferry Road, opposite Ferry Road West (then a T-junction). There were only buildings on the left side on Ferry Road West back then, other than a couple of houses at the far end. We looked out across Atkinson’s Warren and open fields towards the Trent and Nypro. At night, when lit up, the Nypro plant resembled a beautiful ship from the front bedroom windows (a child’s imagination?)
I have vivid childhood memories of the blast and shuddering ground as we approached our car, as we were leaving the annual App Frod Gala. Dad gasped, Mum screamed. We were quickly rushed into the car, Dad driving us home down Ferry Road Hill, on the deserted footpath at one point – to get us home asap.
All of our windows and doors were blown through, glass was everywhere, large and small shards embedded everywhere – except under the tv table, where my terrified puppy ‘Dinky’ sat shaking. Dad rescued Dinky, whilst Mum ushered us children into the garden. We sat with our AF [Appleby Frodingham] Gala goodie bags, in disbelief at the damage around us whilst adults began to frantically check on each other.
Phone lines were jammed, not that everyone actually had one back then. Dad eventually had a police escort to Gunness to check on his brother, who should have been working at Nypro that fateful day, he’d swapped a shift last minute (the swap over survived thankfully).
Our house was not safe to enter, like so many others, structural damage suspected, furniture & belongings all slashed by the shards of flying glass. Neighbours quickly started helping each other boarding their homes as realisation set in.
The main road and then our slip road soon became gridlocked, blocked, firstly by all of the emergency services heading towards the epicentre, along Ferry Road West. I remember the Salvation Army arriving and the press film crews too. More press then followed and people unbelievably wanting to view the horrific scene, some actually asking to enter our damaged homes – for a better view when they were turned back by the police.
I remember how this intrusion annoyed many upset and vulnerable residents/neighbours.
The smoke and acrid smell was dreadful, those still fortunate to have doors and windows were told to close them.
We were eventually cleared to enter our safe rear single storey extension. The clean-up and repairs began, lasting many months.
We will always remember those who were lost and their families, the utter devastation.
We were the lucky ones – grateful not to have lost our loved ones.
More to Explore
Flixborough 1974
An exhibition to commemorate the Flixborough Disaster of June 1974.
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Flixborough 1974 Memories – Dave Butler
Memories of the Nypro disaster recorded by Dave Butler who worked at the factory and was involved in the clean-up.
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Flixborough 1974 Memories – David Adams
Memories of the Nypro disaster recorded by David Adams, who worked as Shift Chemist in the laboratory.
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Flixborough 1974 Memories – Debra Harding-Morris
Memories of the Nypro disaster recorded by Debra Harding-Morris, who lived at Stather Road, Flixborough.
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Flixborough 1974 Memories – Eddie Hotchin
Memories of the Nypro disaster recorded by Eddie Hotchin, a chemist who worked at Nypro and was on shift at the time of the explosion.
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Flixborough 1974 Memories – Heather Barczak
Memories of the Nypro disaster recorded by Heather Barczak, whose father Denis Lawrence, was one of the 28 who lost their lives.
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Flixborough 1974 Memories – Liduina Beckers
Memories of the Nypro disaster recorded by Liduina Beckers, daughter of Nypro’s then General Manager.
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Flixborough 1974 Memories – Tony Clark
Memories of the Nypro disaster recorded by Tony Clark, part-time Leading Fireman at Scunthorpe Station.
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Flixborough 1974 Resource Pack
To assist local schools with this topic, Arts and Heritage Learning have produced a number of teacher resources that are available to North Lincolnshire schools.
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