Canvey Island 

"On Canvey Island, 1953
Many lives were lost
With the records of a football team."

Canvey Island is a civil parish and reclaimed island in the Thames Estuary, and has been inhabited since the Roman invasion of Britain. Separated from mainland Essex by a network of creeks, the island is prone to flooding during extreme tides as it lies below sea level.

The island was mainly agricultural land until the 20th century, when it quickly became one of the fastest growing seaside resorts between 1911 and 1951. The North Sea storm surge of 1953, quoted by British Sea Power, devastated the island, costing the lives of 58 people and leading to the evacuation of the islands 13,000 residents. The island is now protected by 15miles of concrete sea defence.