Leeds nostalgia: Leeds farmer makes mercy mission for starving sheep in March 1947

Valiant I D Grant, of Wadlands Dairy Farm, Farsley, made the round trip to Norfolk and back with a load of hay.

Riding shotgun was Richard Garnett, of Idle - the two of them together drove continuously through rain, sleet and snow, a journey which lasted 24 hours.

Mr Grant said: “We left Farsley about 2.30am yesterday and taking turns drove continuously until we reached King’s Lynn about nine.

“We loaded about four tons of hay about dinner time and set off straight back. It was a hard trip but it was worth it. We couldn’t see the sheep starve.”

Several offers of hay for starving sheep in the Craven hills were made to the West Riding War Agrictulture Executive committee, after an appeal appeared in the Yorkshire Evening Post.

It seems Mr Grant’s journey had inspired others, as a convoy of lorries was due to set off for King’s Lynn later this week in 1947.

Meanwhile, the country was being lashed by hurricane force winds, which saw extensive flooding across the region, including in Doncaster, where many families were forced to move their belongings upstairs in order to avoid rising flood waters.

Across the UK, 12 people were killed in the storm, which saw trees fall and some buildings collapse.

In the Midlands, a falling tree crashed into a prisoner of war hut, injuring 20 people. In response to the crisis, the YEP went up from 10 pages to 12.