HUMPHREY Bogart may have been starring in the desert saga 'Sirocco' at the Regal Cinema, but the winds blowing through Farnham 50 years ago were far from hot and dry.

Though the length and breadth of Britain was deluged by storms, on Sunday, July 22 1951, Farnham was particularly badly hit by two exceptionally severe thunderstorms.

Winds of more than 100 miles an hour blew in with lightning and storms which left a trail of damage and stretched the fire brigade to its limits.

The storms, one at lunchtime, the second at just before eight that evening, brought 3.01 inches of rain, six week's worth, in just four hours according to measurements taken at Farnham Sewage works.

Elsewhere, lightning struck homes and businesses throughout the town. A tank above a first-floor bathroom at Smythe's the drapers on East Street, now the Hogshead pub, suffered a direct hit, sparking a fire.

A roof in Weydon Lane, a chimney in Menin Way and a tree in Brightwell's gardens also fell prey to the forks of lightning which illuminated the blackened skies.

As the rains fell, the flood waters rose. One man, Mr Cranstone, had been due to open a service station on Firgrove Hill, but his plans were thwarted by water which poured in from the road uprooting his two 2,500 gallon petrol tanks from the ground, setting the opening back by weeks.

Elphicks, the West Street department store, was forced to hang clothes out to dry on the shop floor after rain waters seeped through the roof from overloaded gutters.

Nor were drinkers let off lightly. The cellars of The Queen's Head in The Borough and an off licence on Fairthorn Terrace, Wrecclesham, had to be pumped out by the fire brigade.

The fire service itself suffered from the loss of power and telephone lines.

Calls had to be radioed in from Wimbledon headquarters, and back-up was drafted in from Aldershot, Guildford and Woking to assist with the rising waters and lightning sparked blazes.

"The storms were amongst the heaviest in years," commented Mr Livock, from Churt. It was here that the Farnham storm clashed with one raging in the Godalming area.

Meanwhile, in the Regal Cinema, Humphrey Bogart's evening performance was interrupted by an eight-minute power cut. Usherettes with torches calmed children and one hysterical woman.

Caroline Thorpe