Dear Tony,
Thank you for your recent
e-mail.
I note your request,
and am intrigued that you would have interest in my fire service
background. At the outset I should tell you that my recall of dates
is hazy, and these words should only be taken as a stab at various
events.
The various happenings
really began when as a young lad, I was found employment as an apprentice,
to the "noble art of signwriting, graining and acid embossing",
being introduced by a Captain Souter, an executive of the County
Borough of Bournemouth staff. This same Captain was a well known
leader in the Boys Brigade, 2nd Bournemouth Company, which I joined
at about this same time.
At the declaration of
war this apprenticeship was terminated, and Captain Souter found
me further employment with a company known as "Thunder & Clayden".
The partner "Ernie" Clayden was a keen part-time fireman, as were
a number of the staff, all of whom attended with the company panel
vans for pump towing. This when the many air raid alerts that
were experienced, took place.
For my part I became
a bicycle messenger boy along with many other lads from the Boys
Brigade. I had to report to a station known as San Remo Hotel
Unit. This part-time Station and "Ernie" Clayden are well
written about in one of the 5 booklets about the wartime fire services
in my possession (details later).
I received a "tin hat",
an AFS arm band, gas mask, and rode my bicycle as fast as possible
to this hotel, ready to take messages to, and from, various 'incidents',
as they were known. One aspect of this message taking that
was drummed into we messengers, was that all communications were
to commence with "it has been..." or "it is...". I never quite knew
why! but one was severely reprimanded if this order was not followed
to the letter.
All of this attendance
at the sound of the sirens was enormously disruptive to any sort
of lifestyle happening as they did, frequently at any hour of the
24-hour clock. I seem to recall that later, there were duty
rosters, which made for some sort of relief. I was at this
time, as well as being employed, doing my best to attend the Southern
College of Art at the Landsdown, a well known district of central
Bournemouth. Some time later, I became a full-time fireman/dispatch
rider, stationed in a large building opposite the main Bournemouth
Fire Station in Holdenhurst Road. Whilst there, in the company
of many other young fellows, it was necessary to ride a wide range
of conscripted motorcycles, and perform the usual duties of a dispatch
rider. One other much hated duty was to man an old fire engine
affectionately known as "Aggie". This engine was greatly loaded
with tarpaulins and other paraphernalia and was referred to as a
'salvage unit'. The idea of all this being to enter buildings
on fire and cover valuable pieces of equipment, i.e. machinery and
plant considered vital to the war effort. This action was
meant to provide protection from fire hose water damage and, was
at best, a pretty haphazard affair.
I also learned to drive
a range of vehicles whilst at this Station and the terms, 'gate-changes',
and 'double D clutching' will be familiar to senior people.
When I learned that
an N.F.S. overseas contingent was to be formed, I responded to a
call for volunteers to serve as may be required. Here, directed
by an army cadre, but of course with our own officers and ranks.
Our uniforms were modified, and, as well as the buttoned jacket,
we wore a blue battle dress jacket, beret and badge, (the subject
of our initial correspondence), boots, army-style gaiters, side
and back packs, in addition to a kit bag. I was ordered to
a large vacant school on the outskirts of Southampton, the students
from this having been evacuated to safer areas. This school
was also a convenient point, from which our personnel could be embarked
on LCT's, presumable for France or wherever.
Our training with this
contingent was intensified and we very soon became a very fit, well-equipped,
and to all intent, a useful service, eager to get on with it, wherever
we were directed.
This seemingly purposeful
tour of duty was a great relief from the boredom brought about by
the now greatly reduced air raids and endless drills and training.
Column Six 'C' Company was my initial unit. I was later transferred
to Column Six HQ because of a signwriting ability. Here I
lettered innumerable pumps, trucks and what have you.
Then came the invasion
of Europe and our hopes of service soared, however, it was not to
be and our contingent was, after many months, disbanded, and its
members sent to a wide variety of stations.
For my part I reported
to a Station on a US Army camp near Blandford, where the quantity
and style of food, plus personal PX supplies, and extra pay, (I
never did quite find out what for) went some way in alleviating
the disappointment of not being sent overseas.
This all lasted for
a very short period when I was then sent to a salvage and recovery
unit, for now not needed fire equipment. This, an inglorious
end to a wartime experience, chock-full of experience highs and
lows.
As a still young man,
I returned to my old workplace at Thunder & Clayden Company
and continued my studies at Art School. Approximately a year
later, now married, my wife and I left the UK for Australia in 1949,
from where, as you know, I write.
My desire to emigrate
stemmed largely from what I considered the injustice of being refused
post war training/study/assistance, that was enjoyed by thousands
of conscripts, who had served only a matter of months in the 3 armed
services, most of whom had no wartime service experience, save perhaps
their few weeks of basic training.
Having set this to paper
and reflecting on it, I find that I have scant knowledge of your
museum, and what has motivated you to embark on such a project.
Would you be good enough to let me have an outline of your efforts
in this regard as your time permits.
P.S. The booklets I
have referred to earlier are:
(1) N.F.S. Souvenir,
Bournemouth & Poole
(2) Jim Brady -
The Story of Britain's Firemen
(3) The National
Fire Service Overseas Contingent Column 6 - Companies 'B' &
'C' & H.Q. Personnel
(4) No. 6 Southern
Fire Region 1941-1945
(5) Front Line
1940-41
I imagine you have copies
of these in our museum.
Finally one thing that
has always disappointed me, is that there is nowhere in print, so
far as I can discover, any recognition of the young bicycle or motorcycle
personnel. There are however a couple of photos in the booklets
mentioned of personnel with obviously young lads who would have
to have been messengers - the overlooked minority!
Peter Hunt
P.S. Please send
any further correspondence to drg@worldlink.com.au
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