Ancient Wheels of Fire – Article One

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS) is a modern and forward-thinking organisation which, to its credit, has not lost sight of its roots which are firmly planted in the one hundred, or so, town and village fire brigades that existed in the county until the Second World War.  This series of four articles will focus on a facet of a legacy, which in many ways, has set the scene for future development of our fire service, namely notable fire appliances operated by local pre-war Essex fire brigades.  Each article will discuss four noteworthy motor appliances each with a story to tell.  The chosen appliances will be of models constructed by a member of the Essex Fire Museum’s team. 

Epping Fire Brigade’s Packard 4A 

The first ancient motor fire appliance in the series belonged to the Epping Fire Brigade which was commanded for many years by an indomitable Chief Officer Harold Woore – featured in a previous All Fired Up article.  Harold viewed the brigade as his personal fiefdom and as an engineer by trade naturally had an interest in fire appliances to extent that he converted and modified vehicles to his own specifications and utilized them accordingly in the brigade.  One such vehicle was an ex-British War Department Packard 4A four-ton lorry which had been purchased at a Swindon disposal sale at the end of the Great War as indeed had many other military vehicles and aircraft that were surplus to requirements.  It was a mighty beast that originated in the USA and sent to the UK to fill the gap as home-grown manufacturers could not keep up with demand.  It was chain driven and shod with solid tyres which were changed in 1927 to pneumatics by Harold.  It was a rare type as by the end of the war there were only 65 serving in France with a further 26 in Britain.  Harold set about converting it into a fire appliance and by early June 1924 it was ready to be shown off.  Harold and his men took the Packard to Wembley to be inspected by King George V’s son, Prince Henry at a formal inspection of fire brigades.  As might be expected this unique machine, now with the registration AM 5857, attracted a good deal of interest from other fire brigades as well as the general public. 

Solid Tyre 1924

Pneumatic Tyres 1927

In September of that year it went on show again but this time locally at Coopersale Fete where not only did it impress the attendees but at the same time amused them when due to its weight it sank two feet into the turf and had to be pulled out by the brigade’s old Mercedes fire engine. Nevertheless, Harold’s engineering prowess resulted in one of the most impressive “homemade” machines in the country but as with all machines it had its idiosyncrasies. During an exercise at a local pond the Packard stopped working. Harold, not to be beaten, got under it only to find a belt had come off and in attempt to fix the problem the same thing happened to his finger! He re-emerged into the sunlight with an old handkerchief wrapped round the stump and ordered one of his men to take him to a nearby doctors and stoically was back in 30 minutes to continue with the exercise as if nothing had happened!  The Packard served the brigade well but by the start of the Second World War it was starting to feel its age and eventually was sold to the Daily Mirror to help protect its Fleet Street office during the Blitz.  What eventually happened to this venerable machine is anybody’s guess. 

Dagenham Fire Brigade’s Model AA Ford 

Dagenham was lost from Essex County Fire Brigade (ECFB) when its “C” Division amalgamated with the London Fire Brigade in 1965.  The pre-war Dagenham Fire Brigade had an eclectic range of interesting and impressive fire appliances, including: Halley-Simonis, Ford, Dennis and Leyland examples.  Arguably the most interesting was a 1932 Model AA Ford registered in Chelmsford on 28 July, 1932 as EV 8255. 

The first Model AA rolled of the Dagenham production line at the massive Ford plant in October 1931 therefore, it is quite possible that EV 8255 was home grown just a few miles from the fire station. It was known as an “all chemical” fire engine and was thought to be the first of its kind in the world. One wonders why Dagenham invested in this unique fire appliance. On reflection it is a distinct possibility that it was a vital asset to be rushed to the Ford plant, or other similar plants in the area, when chemical firefighting equipment was required, but that is a matter of conjecture.  Further, it is also possible that the Ford, Dagenham subsidised the vehicle but that is also speculation. 

Chelmsford Borough Fire Brigade’s Dodge 

The Chelmsford Borough Fire Brigade was a well-established fire brigade when this fire appliance was acquired. In May 1935 garage proprietor and Dodge dealer John Day of Broomfield Road, Chelmsford, was contracted to provide a two-ton fire tender on Dodge chassis and running gear which would make a suitable platform to construct a fire engine body for the Chelmsford brigade. This he did for £187/4s/0d. Messrs A. Young, another local firm was subcontracted to fit the body for £80, thus, for the princely sum £267/4s/0d, the Chelmsford Borough Fire Brigade obtained a brand-new fire appliance equivalent to £24,266 in today’s money.  

The Dodge was of the New World configuration whereby the crew sat on bench seats facing each other in the rear section.  This arrangement was far safer than the Braidwood configuration it replaced where the crew sat facing outwards while perched on either side of the superstructure. This sadly resulted in a number of firemen being thrown off their machine into the road often with catastrophic outcomes.  Inexplicably the Dodge was labelled as belonging to Chelmsford Fire Department – the only appliance to marked in such a way. 

Being of a New World configuration the Dodge was pressed into service to transport the coffins of deceased firemen on their “last shout”.  Notable the body of Superintendent Percy Coote of Braintree Fire Brigade. He was killed in an accident while attempting to descend a canvas escape chute at Braintree Fire Station.  He was taken from his house on the Dodge which formed part of   a solemn convoy of fire appliances to Braintree’s parish church for his funeral on 1 October 1936. 

The use of this appliance at fires was not without controversy. On 28 August 1938 a serious fire took hold at a boarding-house and shop known as the Corner House in Moulsham Street, Chelmsford.  Two lodgers, James Stanley, aged 70 - a labourer and James Hampton, aged 65 - an ice cream salesman rented attic bedrooms where sadly they became trapped and perished in the fire. It was a fire that engendered a good deal of anger amongst the populous.  On 2 September 1938 the Chelmsford Chronicle received a letter referring to the August fire. It stated that in a town such as Chelmsford (where the wireless was born) the Dodge, first on the scene, should have been fitted with a radio and a ladder as a builder’s ladder had to be borrowed for the rescue attempt.  To compound the felony a little boy was asked to run to the fire station to get help and to ride back on the machine which had to bump-started at the fire station  to bring it to life! Indeed existing images indicate that the Dodge inexplicably was never fitted with a ladder of any description!  As with many old fire appliances it is not known what the eventual fate of the Dodge was, but it is quite likely it was still in service at the outbreak of the Second World War. 

Southend on Sea Fire Brigade’s Martin Cultivator 

The Southend on Sea Fire Brigade was a highly regarded fire brigade locally and nationally.  It was a brigade quick to embrace the mechanisation of its fleet of fire appliances.  Indeed an account by Special Constable William Ledicott published in The Times newspaper described one of the Brigade’s motor fire engines - a Merryweather - rushing to a fire in London Road which had been started by an incendiary bomb dropped by a German Zeppelin in the early hours of Monday 10 May 1915. This report was possibly the first ever eyewitness account of a British air raid.   

Stationed at Number Two Sub-station, Shoeburyness was a 1928 25hp Martin motor pump.  This extremely rare and unusual appliance was one of a small number of vehicles, and possibly the only fire engine, manufactured by the well-known agricultural engineering company Martin Cultivator Co Ltd of Stamford, Lincolnshire which was founded by William Edward Martin in the early nineteen hundreds.  By all accounts the Martin was furnished with the usual firefighting equipment including, a telescopic ladder and a 250/300gpm rear-mounted pump which appeared to be a Merryweather mounted on a Tilling-Steven chassis. It was powered by a four-cylinder Dorman petrol engine linked to a four speed Martin gearbox. With a fair wind behind it she was capable of an impressive 52mph and was large enough to carry a crew of up to fourteen firemen. This machine is long-gone, but a trailer pump made by the firm still exists at the National Trust’s Harwick Hall, Derbyshire.