Voluntary fire fighting WW2

[Maris]

Below is a Voluntary fire fighting party card found in a shoebox of old photos.

<img src="https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=74048&amp;stc=1" attachmentid="74048" alt="" id="vbattach_74048" class="previewthumb">

 

[sistersue61]

Maris, what an interesting find, did it belong to one of your rels?
Sue

 

[Maris]

My Grand Uncle, Frank Bushell (though possibly could be his brother Frederick!) I never knew him though.

 

[Vivienne14]

An impressive home built fire pump in Turner Street, Sparkbrook.

Viv..
Source: British Newspaper Archive

 

[Vivienne14]

This is how fire groups were organised. The aim being to have sufficient rota cover to fight incendiary fires over any 24 hours; women to cover daytime hours and men the evenings. Viv.


Source: British Newspaper Archive

 

[Pedrocut]

January 1941.

 

[A Sparks]

As a teenager my dad and his friend used to do fire watch at the factory where they worked.

 

[devonjim]

Now, two and two may be making five, but " during the war" the house I lived in had the letters "FP" stencilled on the brickwork to the left of the front door which I always understood meant fire pump. So maybe my grand dad, whose home it was, was a member of such a fire crew and the FP indicated the location of a team pump. I do remember the pump and it wasn't a very impressive device. A brass stirrup pump that after the war I remember was used to water the garden.

 

[Vivienne14]

Kingstanding (Dyas Road) organising officials.


Source: British Newspaper Archive

 

[Astoness]

Kingstanding (Dyas Road) organising officials.


Source: British Newspaper Archive

interesting viv...just wondering where on dyas road the headquarters was

lyn

 

[Vivienne14]

Think there was an ARP depot on Dyas Road. Probably based there Lyn. Shall try and find the address.

 

[Vivienne14]

The ARP address was 56 and 58 Dyas Road ("C" Division). These are houses, and I think they must have been so in 1941 (unless the houses were built after WW2 ?).

I expect some of these addresses (but not all) were possibly the homes of volunteers rather than purpose-built premises. Maybe it's an example of putting into action an immediate response to a need and making do with what was available at the time?

 

[Vivienne14]

Have merged two threads into this one.