The Big Freeze 1963 - Tractor on Ice
T he Big Freeze 1963 – Tractor on Ice In the winter of 1962-63, snow remained from Boxing Day until mid-March. Blizzards began in the last week of 1962 and built up drifts, about six metres deep in the West Country. Even city centres had 15cm of snow, which turned to slush, and when temperatures plunged, froze solid in ruts, bringing traffic to a halt. The long walk home from work in mid-February allowed for occasionally seeking refuge in a warm pub on the way, where the conversation was inevitably about the weather. Such a conversation was held in the ‘Anglers’ during February about how in previous years men had skated to Lincoln to work and that a horse and cart had been known to have travelled along the ice. This was this feat that landlord Ray Miles volunteered to repeat, but this time driving his 35cwt Fordson tractor from Saxilby to Pyewipe. It was originally planned to get onto the ice at the Lindsey & Kesteven Fertiliser Works. Unfortunately, this was not possible a