A tornado wreaked havoc across Buckinghamshire 65 years ago today, leaving 12 miles of destruction in its wake.

Cars, animals and trees were lifted into the air and dropped “some considerable distance” away, properties were stripped of their roofs and a spout of water 250 feet high was seen on the Grand Union Canal at Wendover, on May 21, 1950.

In a special report found in the archives of Bucks Fire and Rescue, the emergency response to the natural disaster is given in a detailed account.

The file is entitled “Emergency Operations of the Fire Brigade following the Tornado which severely damaged Properties in the County on Sunday, May 21st, 1950”.

It charts the tornado’s 30-minute journey from Dunsmore, about a mile south of Wendover, to Linslade, which was part of Buckinghamshire until the Buckinghamshire/Bedfordshire boundary changed in 1965.

The report, compiled just a few days afterwards, was overseen by Edward George Hobbs, Chief Fire Officer of what was then called Buckinghamshire County Council Fire Brigade.

He said: “It may well be gathered from the instances quoted above that the appearance of the affected areas shortly after the passing of the tornado was reminiscent of a high explosive or flying bomb incident.

“As is common with a disaster of such magnitude, many sightseers in addition to the affected inhabitants, crowded the streets to get an appreciation of what had happened.

“The ferocity of the tornado was of proportions unlikely to have been encountered previously in this country. In consequence, many almost unbelievable incidents occurred.”

In total, more than 200 properties were damaged, 71 of them severely, and the road between Aylesbury and Linslade was flooded between Bierton and Wing.

Although the tornado was said to be “spent out” after leaving Buckinghamshire, other contemporary reports show that a storm crossed Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk over the next two hours.

The worst of the bad weather passed to the east of Milton Keynes, but hailstones the size of tennis balls were reported at North Crawley.

The original report acknowledges the use of pictures from the Daily Mirror, News Chronicle, The Bucks Advertiser and Planet News Limited. It was printed by Marshall & Diment, Cambridge Street, Aylesbury.