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JOTTINGS OF THE EARLY DAYS OF THE TENBURY FIRE BRIGADE

It is ironic that the early records of the Tenbury Fire Brigade along with many of the Parish and Rural district Council records, were destroyed in a fire that occurred in the Council Boardroom, situated in Teme Street in the late 1920's. What is known is that a Fire Station was erected in Church Street adjoining St.Marys Church in 1858. This was a substantial single storey brick building, with slated roof, having only the one room used as the Appliance Room. This was fronted by a pair of heavy doors, arched at the top, similar to Church Doors. In the one door a window was situated to give light, in the other was a very small pane of glass which could be smashed to give access to the door key.

This building still exists. After its closure as a Fire Station it was for many years the town mortuary, but has now become a Meeting Room. Tenburys first appliance, as far as is known was a horse-drawn Shand Mason manual of the 'London Brigade' type. It is possible that Tenbury may have previously had a small hand-drawn manual, perhaps situated in the Church, but nothing is known about this.

The only other small manual engines known in the District were situated at Burford House, there was also one at Eardiston belonging to the Eardiston Farming Co.

The Tenbury manual was probably a 22 man type with 11 men working the levers either side, this was done with the aid of helpers at the fire-ground, who were later paid a fee.

The machine carried a pair of scaling ladders, one each side, and had a large box at the rear to accommodate the canvas hose.

Suction hose, standpipes, branches, etc. were carried either side in two long lockers.
The long levers or pumping handles folded inwards when not in use.
The second piece of equipment that Tenbury had at this time was a hand-drawn hose-cart fitted with solid rubber tyred wheels.
This carried eight lengths of canvas hose, standpipes, keys and two branches and a dividing breeching, it carried two oil-lamps, fixed to the front.
With this hose-cart a fire could be quickly tackled using water under pressure from the water mains. In addition, the Brigade possessed a hand-pump, this was a metal bucket like container with a hand-pump fixed in the centre, with a short length of small bore canvas hose attached with nozzle, the whole pump transported by means of a brass rail affixed around the top.

The reservoir was filled with the canvas buckets provided from a suitable water supply. This pump was useful for small fires, such as timber under hearth, etc.

The horsing of the manual engine was usually by standing arrangement with the Swan Hotel, Burford. The Swan Hotel had a number of horses in their stables to cater for their coaches, etc. and an alarm bell was fitted to their stables, there was also one in the Coachman's cottage nearby, for night calls. In the event of a fire a pair of horses could be quickly galloped up Teme Street, Market Street and into Church Street and be harnessed up.

The call-out system was by electric bell in the Firemens' houses, this was operated by the local Police, and maintained by the General Post Office.

All fire-calls were accepted at the Police Station, which was then in the middle of Teme Street, as the Police Office was manned night and day.

Outside the Police Station stood a big red alarm box, with brass alarm point inserted, this was removed in later years and the alarm point put inside the Police Office to prevent false alarms.

In addition, over the Police Station door was a gas lamp with the words 'Fire Alarm' in white on a red glass background.

There was also a large board in the wall nearby on which the inscription, 'In case of fire inform the Police' was printed.

Another feature of the call out arrangements was that all firemen at Tenbury had an enamelled metal plate over their doorway inscribed 'Fireman', this was to facilitate them being called out in the event of a failure of the bells.

The usual compliment of the Brigade consisted of twelve men, the Officer in Charge, and his Deputy, known as the Captain and Deputy Captain, and ten Firemen.

The uniform was the usual blue melton double-breasted fire tunic and trousers, the latter with thin red stripes down the outside seams, except for the Captain who had black braid on his trousers and also black interwoven cord on his tunic cuffs. The Deputy Captain had red interwoven cord on his cuffs. The Captain and Deputy Captain had double brass epaulettes on each shoulder. All Firemen had single brass epaulettes on each shoulder. They wore leather belts and pouches, carrying wooden handled axes, some Firemen carried hose or nozzle spanners and belt lines. The Captain and Deputy Captain carried whistles on chains. Captains wore blue peaked caps, all Brigade members wore the cap badge of National Fire Brigade Association, and all wore smaller badge of the NFBA on a red background on the tunic collar. In addition to the cap-badge all Tenbury Firemen wore a brass monogram badge on the peak of the cap.

The helmets worn by the Captain and Deputy Captain were the standard brass helmet with the standard badge, crossed axes with torch. The Firemen wore black leather helmets with a brass rim fitted all around the peak and neck piece, two brass rosettes one each side at the top of the leather chin strap, with a brass chain over the front of the peak between the rosettes, the letters TFB in brass on the front of the helmet and a small brass number, between 1 and 10.

In addition, a brass lion badge was on the front end of the squared leather comb. White woollen gloves were issued for ceremonial parades.

Brass buttons on fire tunics were of the crossed axes and helmet variety. Calf length leather fire boots were worn.

As was stated earlier the very early days of the Tenbury Fire Brigade are lost in the mists of time. But, in October 1978 Celebrations were held in Tenbury and a parade and display took place, and a small plaque unveiled by the Mayor in honour of one hundred years of the Tenbury Fire Brigade. This takes us back to 1878, but what of the previous twenty years back to when the Fire Station was built in 1858?

The Tenbury Advertiser mentions the Volunteer Fire Brigade in 1878. A Mr.W.J.Heming appears to be in charge and the Brigade was congratulated for their work at a fire at Wolferlow Park.

Nothing is known of the Tenbury Fire Brigade from then on until the turn of the century, presumably they carried on serving the Tenbury District with their usual efficiency.

Records are to hand of fires that occurred from January 1906 until November 1912.

The Tenbury Fire Brigade was at this time headed by Captain R.W.Jarvis, the local Surveyor to the RDC, Deputy Captain was S. Dadge, the local Blacksmith.

Sample of a Fire Report : 

Saturday November 6 1910

Fire at Eastham Grange
5 Miles from Tenbury

At 4.30pm. alarm was received and upon arriving at the Fire Station the Brigade were informed that a large fire was raging at Eastham Grange.

There was a slight delay in getting horses through only one man being at the stables, a messenger was despatched to enquire cause and with his assistance the Engine was quickly horsed, the leader being ridden by Fireman W. Hartland Junior.

It was very dark and the weather extremely bad, a violent snowstorm raging, which completely obscured the roadway and made it most difficult to drive distances, the horses who were unable to travel rapidly getting continually balled with snow and making the journey most dangerous.

Upon arrival at the fire, found the farm buildings forming three sides of a square in flames. Water was most difficult to get although plentiful. Pipers brook running in a deep ravine close by. The Engine had to be taken back into the roadway and got down to the watercourse the opposite side of the stream where 30' of suction was required and 750' of delivery hose used. The water was immediately directed to the building almost adjoining the house, and with great difficulty, fire there extinguished.

Owing to the scarcity of helpers, instead of having 25 to 30 pumpers, only such members of the Brigade who were not laying hose with the assistance of Inspector Lane, a man and a boy, were available at the pump and it was surprising they were able to pump water up such a precipitous place and onto the fire.

A steam engine was greatly needed.

Before the fire was safely extinguished I was informed the pumpers were exhausted, but I begged of them to continue for short time.

About 6.00am. a few helpers began to arrive and better progress was made, and after pulling down dangerous gables the Brigade was able to leave. Arriving at the Fire Station at 1.00pm.

The damage done was very extensive, a three stall stable and a two box hacking stable, coach house, four stall cart horse stable, harness rooms and cleaning rooms with lofts and Grooms' rooms over.

Large three bay barn, including a quantity of implements. Three hop kilns and cooling rooms, shed, cowhouse, grannary were burnt out only the walls being left.

Unfortunately a fine yearling cart colt and two farm pigs perished in the barn.

It was not possible to give a cause for the outbreak, all was supposed to be safe at 10.00pm. Friday night, and about 3.30am. Pearson the Groom was aroused by screams which was doubtless from the horse and pigs in the barn, and on looking out for the cause saw the barn in flames.

The buildings were insured by the Law Fire Offices.

I estimate the damage to be about £800.

R.W.Jarvis - Captain

The Brigade consisted of -
R.W.Jarvis Captain
S Dadge Deputy Captain
W Hartland Sen Fireman
J Turford Fireman
E Mills Fireman
W Hartland Jnr Fireman
G Tyler Fireman
R Parker Fireman
H Turner Fireman
A Dancer Fireman
R Palmer Fireman

Also followed the names of eighteen helpers.

Captain Jarvis and his Brigade carried on with their efforts until 19/11/1912 when the Fire Brigade Committee met under Tenbury RDC after taking over from the Parish Council.

Evidently the provision of a new Fire Engine was mooted.

On 11/12/1912 Tenders were received for a steam fire engine.

Shand Mason Quote :
Single Cylinder 'Volunteer' 200 GPM £295
Two cylinder Double Vertical 200 GPM £345

Merryweather Quote :
Two Cylinder 'Greenwich Gem' 200-250 GPM £278-18-0
Single Cylinder 'County Council' 200 GPM £246-0-0
Small Double Cylinder (c) 150 GPM £309-0-0

It was agreed to purchase the Shand Mason Two Cylinder Double Vertical 200 GPM at £345.

Plus one Spark Arrester £3-3-0
Alarm Bell £4-0-0

6/6/1913
Resolved that Captain Jarvis obtain prices and purchase 48' Extended Ladder.

One Shand Mason improved square jumping sheet 10' x 10' with 32 handles
One life-belt with steel hook

The next record we have dates 3/6/1919

Ordered that the Clerk enquire from Shand Mason Co. on what terms they would be prepared to exchange the present engine for a motor engine of similar horse-power, able to take a gradient of one in six.

The result of this enquiry is not known, but the steam fire engine was not replaced by a motor engine until 1938.
To return to the early days of the steam fire engine this proved to be a vast improvement over the manual. The horsing arrangements were generally under the same system, these prevailed until the early 1920's when it was decided to use a towing vehicle.

For a short time motor buses from Critchleys Garage, Bromyard Road, were used, this proved to be unsuccessful.

Meanwhile Captain Jarvis and Deputy Captain Dadge had retired and in 1925 Mr.G.E.T.H.Maund was appointed Captain of the Brigade and Fireman J.Howells became his Deputy Captain.

Mr.Maund being a local garage owner also had a fleet of lorries, which he hired out to the County Council.

It was soon arranged that Mr.Maund would undertake to have a lorry standing by at all times to tow the steam engine.

The fleet of lorries were all painted red, fitted with tow bars, and a gantry over the cabs to take the ladder.

One driver was kept back at the garage each day with his lorry on stand by, a bell being located in the garage, at night one driver had a fire-bell in his house.

On receipt of a fire call the lorry would be driven quickly to the Fire Station, the ladder put on, extra lengths of hose, a bag of coal etc.
steamer hooked up and away, Firemen riding on the lorry, with two Firemen Engineers riding on the steamer to operate the hand brakes.

The lorries were of various makes, and improved as new lorries came along, several of the early one were solid tyred 'Garners'.

On 2/11/36 the Fire Brigade Committee accepted the tender for the new Fire Station being made by converting part of the old workhouse buildings in Teme Street, this provided much better facilities, appliance room, muster room, locker room, recreation room bathroom and hose drying tower. Previously hose had to be dried in the oval butter market on The Square, suspended on ropes and pulleys.

The Brigade moved into Teme Street 28/11/36.

One of the early turnouts from the new Station was an assistance call from Ludlow Fire Brigade fighting a fire at Woofferton Saw Mills, Salop.

Leominster Fire Brigade were also requested. On one side of the Saw Mills was a railway junction goods yard, on the other, a Shell and BP Petrol Depot, with tanker lorries garaged there.

The fire was surrounded successfully using three pumps working all night from a stream, the pumps being Ludlow's Merryweather steamer, Tenbury's Shand Mason steamer and Leominster's new Dennis motor fire engine.

13/8/1937
It was recommended that the RDC apply to the Ministry of Health to sanction a loan not exceeding £1000 for the purchase of a new fire engine to be repaid over a ten year period.

8/9/1937
Ministry of Health agree to loan.
Various fire engine makers canvassed

2/10/1937
Three fire engines demonstrated at Tenbury in front of members of Fire Brigade Committee, and Brigade, namely,

Leyland FK6 500/700 GPM
Dennis Ace 350/450 GPM
John Keer and Co.Limited
Drysdale/Tordson 500/700 GPM

11/10/37
It was resolved that the Council be recommended to purchase a Leyland Motor Fire Engine FK6 500/700 GPM pump with New World body.

Fitted all round with War Office 'trak-grip' tyres and with a 30' all metal extension ladder by John Keer and Co. The machine was finished in red paintwork with all fittings and handrails in brass.
Registration number - CAB 650

25/4/1938
The machine was delivered to Tenbury by a Leyland Engineer, Mr.S.Salmon, who was resident for one week with the Brigade for familiarization drills.

Machine officially started at a demonstration on Burgage recreation ground by Mrs.W.Rochford, Wife of the Chairman of The Fire Brigade committee.

A display to the public was given by having the old and new machines pumping alongside each other from the river Teme.

The Shand Mason steamer was operated by Fireman W.T.Hartland and the Leyland by his Son, Fireman R.A.Hartland.

15/8/38
The first fire attended with new appliance was at farm buildings used as hop-pickers barracks alongside The Talbot Hotel, Newnham Bridge, owner Mr.G.A.Nott.
Small fire, hose reel only used.

During the next year many changes took place in the Tenbury Fire Brigade, mainly due to the new equipment of various types being issued by the Home Office under the Air Raid Precautions Act. Anti-gas training and the formation of the AFS etc.

On the outbreak of war September 3 1939, it was decided to have two firemen sleep at the Fire Station each night, and when cinemas re-opened after a few weeks of being shut down on September 3, an added duty was that a fireman had to attend each performance. The first fire that the Brigade attended, after the war started, and masked headlights were in use, was at Mr.Firkins of the Moor Farm, Eardiston, where hop-kilns were in flames, 14/9/39.

The Brigade carried on with its early wartime duties, seeing the introduction of Firewomen at Tenbury and the number of personnel attached increasing to over one hundred eventually and the creation of a sub-station at Newnham Bridge.

On 18/8/41 on the formation of the National Fire Service, Tenbury Fire Brigade became a unit of that Service continuing until after the war in 1948 when Tenbury became part of the Worcester City and County Fire Brigade. In 1974 Local Government re-organisation created the Hereford and Worcester Fire Brigade. Tenbury being part of the West Division that is the position at the moment, with a new Fire Station, due to open shortly, a fine record of service to Tenbury and District.

R.A.Hartland

Worcester 1987

The first firecall at the new fire station located in Burford was on 4th October 1987; the day after the station was officially opened. The divisions in Hereford & Worcester Fire Brigade have changed twice since these notes were written. Tenbury changed from the West Division to the Central Division and then changed again to the South Division: it's current division in 2006.

The county of Hereford & Worcester split into two separate counties; Herefordshire and Worcestershire, however, Hereford and Worcester Fire Brigade kept it's name, but was run by the Hereford and Worcester Combined Fire Authority. The brigades crest changed as a result of this.

On 1st October 2004, Hereford and Worcester Fire Brigade changed its name to Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service.  This came about as a result of the introduction of the fire and rescue services act 2004, which replaced the Fire Services Act 1947. The services name on the badge changed to reflect the new roles of the fire and rescue service.

A notable event that occurred, in March 2005, was on the night of the 23rd, at around 23:55.  Sub Officer David James was alerted by fire control of reports that a fire appliance had been stolen from the fire station.  On arrival at the fire station a few minutes later, a scene of total devastation met him.  A small gathering of people were outside the fire station having heard the Dennis SS fire engine, (J668 BUY) as it came crashing through the front door.  The fire engine was followed by police for 5 miles, until it crashed into a field at Woofferton.  The appliance was away for several months being repaired, until it was returned to the station in May.

Twelve months later; at the end of May 2006, H&WFRS re-distributed it's appliances to different stations after it took delivery of eight Scania appliances.  As a result of the re-distribution, Tenbury's Dennis Sabre Rescue Pump M284 KWP; was taken away for service at Bewdley.  Tenbury used a spare appliance until 6th July, when a newer vehicle was delivered to the station.  The new vehicle was another Dennis Sabre, with new style bodywork; registration number VX53 JEU; it previously served at Bromsgrove fire station.  It was also decided that Tenbury's Dennis SS J668 BUY should be sent to the reserve fleet, to be replaced with a smaller Dennis Rapier fire appliance.

On 8th January 2007, the Dennis Rapier fire appliance was delivered to Tenbury, and went on the run on the Wednesday, following familiarisation by the drivers.  The Rapier appliance had the registration L293 UWP.  Although only two years younger than the previous appliance, all two-appliance retained stations except Ross-on-Wye, and all three appliance stations took delivery of identical appliances.

June 19th saw the start of a busy couple of months.  Heavy rain resulted in major flooding across the whole of the two counties; with most stations being deployed to flooding incidents involving cars and people trapped in floodwater.  The A456 near to Eastham Bridge was one of the worst affected areas, with deep water flowing along the road.  Firefighters from Tenbury were also sent to deal with incidents at Far Forest, Clows Top and Great Witley.

A week later on June 25th saw more heavy rain with flash flooding again in the Eastham area; with several calls to Featherbed Lane to deal with people trapped in floodwater.  Further flash flooding occurred in the whole of Tenbury town centre, where a major evacuation took place.  Firefighters knocked on doors to evacuate the town in the middle of the night as water poured into Market Street and then Teme Street.  Church Street was one of the worst affected areas.  Firefighters spent several days rescuing people and then pumping out properties.

The 17th July saw yet more flash floods, as water poured off fields into Bog lane, down Berrington Road and into the Town.  Firefighters were called upon again to rescue people trapped in buildings, and several days of pumping out followed.  As pumping out was completed, more rain followed on the 20th which put the town back to square one.  Once again water streamed down Berrington Road into the town centre.

This was met by rising water from the Kyre Brook and the River Teme, which resulted in large scale flooding with water up to 5 feet deep in Market Street.