The photograph opposite shows a German Messerschmitt Bf109E shot down, presumably over Southern England during the Battle of Britain in 1940. This aircraft came on display in the city centre of Sheffield in October 1940 to serve a a morale booster and to raise funds for war charities.  The photograph relates to a previous article - The Pig - which appeared in the Spring 1998 issue of Saved, in as much as equipment used in that emergency tender is shown in use by the brigade. The shear legs and block and tackle are being used to lift the aircraft from the Royal Air Force road transporter and is operated by members of the City of Sheffield Fire Brigade. The crew can be seen wearing their flat hats and overalls and are under the direction of a sergeant (far left) wearing an undress tunic.
         Closely watching the operation is the chief officer of the brigade, Superintendent Charles Teather (left foreground): he is recognisable from  his rank marking - a silver metal crown on his shoulder strap and the fact that he is wearing a Sam Browne belt and buttoned up collar, undress tunic. Bear in mind that Sheffield was then still a police fire brigade until nationalisation in August 1941, and he was wearing police uniform and rank markings.
         I speak with some authority about the scene shown as at the moment the photograph was being taken I was inside the building with the pitched roof, seen in the background. This was the City Grammar School and at around 4pm when we finished school, I along with a bosom friend made our way there to watch the operation of making the aircraft ready for display. The following week we carefully inspected it on several occasions, paying a entrance fee equivalent to two and a half pence, plus a further equal sum to sit in the cockpit.
         The aircraft buffs at the school, like myself, were to argue long and loud for several weeks over two aspects of this, to us, menacing ME109, as it was known at the time.
          Firstly, did the propeller hub indicate a cannon fitted in the engine that fired through the boss? Remember, then to the best of our knowledge no RAF aircraft was fitted with cannon but with machine guns only. Secondly, did the yellow painted nose of the aircraft really indicate, as was a popular assumption at that time, that the pilot was an 'ace' with at least five victories to his credit? No use asking the RAF ground crew who accompanied the exhibit - they were the biggest line shooters ever and would brazenly tell you that they had personally shot it down. Since then I must have read hundreds of books and thousands of magazines relating to wartime aircraft and I still cannot answer those questions with any degree of certainty!
         Finally, the friend who went with me to look at the aircraft that day after school, along with me, joined the National Fire Service as a messenger, I being still at school. We have remained in contact since those days and last September we marched in procession (or rather ambled) proudly from St Giles Church in the City of London to the Firefighters' National Memorial outside St Paul's Cathedral, to honour two names on the memorial - Firefighters who had served with us on the same NFS fire station but lost their lives on duty during the war.

Opposite:The Messerschmitt being lifted by the Sheffield Fire Brigade's shear legs and block and tackle. In the left foreground is the chief officer of the brigade,Superintendent Charles Teather.
(The print is kindly supplied by Sheffield Postcard Co. 325 Abbeydale Road, Sheffield, S7 1FS. Tel: 0114 236 7082 who produce a wide range of historical pictures, especially from the Sheffield and Derbyshire areas.)