The origins of the Birmingham Brigade

[Heartland]

The thread about Charles Reeves, sword and gun maker, mentions one of the causes that led to bankruptcy was a serious fire. This fire in 1868 affected part of Reeve's premises called Golds Mill. The building was gutted and all machinery fell to the bottom after the floors were burnt away.

Water was obtained from the canal, in the first instance, and water main on the corner of Mount Street and Charlotte Street, in the second case.

Two fire engines attended and the first suffered breakdowns, a second arrived too late to save the building, In 1868 the insurance companies provided the engines but had combined into one unit. The insurance companies involved were the Alliance, Birmingham Alliance, Lancashire, Northern Union and Royal.

How effective the service was then, is probably best to describe as partially successful.

 

[Vivienne14]

I’ve extracted this information which appeared in the Evening Freeman on 27/6/1861. It tells us about a report prepared in June 1860 on the state of the different fire brigades across the country. Generally, they were in an inefficient state.

Rather than post the whole article, I’ve extracted out the key facts relating to Birmingham and attach a chart comparing the position of the main brigades.

* The report was presented in 1860 covering the situation in London, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

* The report showed that systems were diverse. In Birmingham the Brigade was under the control of insurance companies, while in Liverpool and Manchester it was connected to the police and under the direction of the Corporation.

* In Birmingham there were 21 firemen and officers paid for by three insurance companies. The firemen received 5 shillings for each night fire and 2s6d for each daytime fire.

*The engines were worked by the firemen and the public. Birmingham had only one ‘fire escape’ ie ladders to assist with rescue.

*The report recommended improvements in parish fire engines, the need for a uniform fire brigade system and for the introduction of the most up to date equipment, all under the sole direction and control of the local municipal authority.

Viv.

 

[Vivienne14]

For anyone interested, the letter below from the Birmingham Journal newspaper (source: British Newspaper Archive) tells us a lot about the insurance company brigades in the town (three at the time). Viv.

 

[sospiri]

It is amazing what a complex issue this is and how long it took to get a national fire brigade system off the ground. I have in my possession a book Covering Seventy-Five Years privately published by Municipal Mutual Insurance (now part of Zurich Insurance), which deals with the issue of how councils got together to uniformly cover their insurance needs for fire and other disasters, e.g. the destruction of Shoreditch Town Hall in 1904, similarly Stratford-upon-Avon Town Hall in 1946, and the progressive collapse of part of a 22 storey tower block, Ronan Point, in Canning Town in 1968. And this didn't come about in London until 1903 and somewhat later in other authorities.

The Company didn't have an office in Birmingham until 1926 at 174 Corporation Street, progressively growing, as did the City's needs, with a number of different offices until the purchase of Canterbury House in Newhall Street in 1977.

The City of Birmingham Fire Brigade was not formed until 1875 and didn't become part of the National Fire Service until 1941. It became the Birmingham Fire & Ambulance Service in 1948.

Maurice

 

[mikejee]

The subject of forming a proper city brigade originated in 1867