fogrider

They get you both ways !... I remember a couple of jobs in Nottingham where sprinkler heads had failed and caused a flood. We spent ages removing water with dustpans and brushes. It was seen as our job. Another job was during working hours, an actual fire , I've a vague memory it was in Raleighs' packing department, the sprinklers had it in check but we had to go into the torrent coming down to finish the fire off. We were drenched ! I remember a large office building on the North side of Parliament Street, just 'round the corner from Milton Street. All the machines were out at jo

Sure thing for a big company , especially higher risk places where sprinklers are essential, as you say, the insurance premiums are much more favorable. One small drawback with a wet system if a bulb breaks or fails. I went to a couple of big buildings in Nottingham when a sprinkler head had let go , they really do wack a good spread of water down ! Small price to pay I suppose. Strangely, there was a period in the sixties and early seventies when a number of sprinklered old Victorian type of factory buildings burned down ( locations all over the UK) because the plant had been "shut do

That's a fact, sprinklers are very effective - they ought to be , vast expense !. Fire fighting techniques have changed very little over decades, some gear I wish we had when I was still in the job like thermal image cameras and in-helmet comms are brilliant. Offset by a growing reluctance to send teams into a fire situation. Two senior officers were charged with manslaughter a few years ago, after a fire in Atherstone when 2 firemen were killed. The effect of that obvious, even though the case was eventually dropped. The Americans have a great tactic, big jets with lots of pressure an

The British fire service has a thing about throwing water upwards. It ineffective. It's pathetic. I always got my blokes to work it so that water went DOWN, into what is called "the seat of the fire". It really annoys me when, on the TV news, there is a huge fire with lots of water being thrown at the sky. OK, it doesn't represent what might be going on elsewhere at that job, but the water could be put to better effect. What does it say on every fire extinguisher ? "aim at base of fire" !

Re Ian123's great photo of Blue watch, Central,1938, I mixed up Hull City Police/Fire Brigade with Nottingham, I don't think Nottingham was ever a Police Fire Brigade. My apologies to those I misled. It's pre-war AFS uniform, the 'sergeants ' markings would be in red. Same period, 1938 to August 1941. The I think the guy, dead centre is George Hodson, who was Deputy Chief at the time of the Dakins fire , 1969, and soon after Chief Fire Officer. I remember him telling me he was in the AFS.

Ah, I see, these are for vehicles owned outside the fire service. Those Austin ATV's were everywhere, very useful and lasted well. I had one at one time , GLR 829, not sure where it is now. Thanks Ian

Ian, I've had a scan for those tax discs, can't find a thing, any chance of a link or some clues? I have an ex Nottingham City Commer, off the road for decades in a museum store, found in the screen was a "tax disc". Done on a typewriter : Nottingham City Fire Brigade 999BTV Road fund licence exempt. I can't prove it was a genuine original though. To see the ones you sp

I missed the obvious here, Nottingham was a Police Fire Brigade until August 1941 (when it became part of the NFS), hence the rank markings.

The front row are sat on tubular steel framed chairs, they make me think fifties, but were such chairs made pre-war as well ? That Leyland (cub) would be built around 1938, 20 years service until 1958. I'm not sure about the 'sergeant' style rank markings. Will look them up. An interesting post

A superb pic, but I'm confused here, I always believed Central wasn't opened until after 1940, Italian prisoners of war laid the marble City crest in the main foyer. That Leyland pump is certainly mid to late 1930's. Happy bunch sat on it !

Compo, I visited the Papplewick pumping station a few years ago, I'm sure they have one of the steam winders there, there was someone who" worked 'em at pit " Great visit, Regards

Re Ians photo above " Blue watch at Central," I've learned something there - it was opened somewhere around 1940 , that photo must be in the 40's as any photo's I've seen of the yard and when I was there, the buildings behind the tower are 2 storeys higher and there appears an extra window in the tower at 1st floor level. Amazing.

French at a guess, maybe German , that crowbar stuck down the front forks would have you arrested these days ! As for a siren worked off the front tyre, how embarrassing, imagine tearing through Slab square on that with the siren wailing ! Give me UAU anyday !!!!

GTO 10 is a very stylish machine. It was at the closing event for Central Fire Station. Apart from my fogrider bike, it was the only ex-city machine there out of several. UAU 999 shown recently was not available , as it's in Sunderland I presume the fuel costs would be behind that. I went through the log books once on miles and fuel issues, it was averaging 2 mpg. Probably does 5 or 6 on a run though ! GTO 10 looks the part, but those Merryweather ladders were horrible, flexing all over the place.Some actually collapsed, one fireman was killed, Merryweather issued a strengthe

Not far off Ian, Chiefs car was a Humber Sceptre, lovely shade of red, swanky black interior, there were two Avengers after about 1971, in orange. One had rotted through the sills in 9 months. They replaced two Hillman minx's , black, that had lasted for a decade without body problems !

What a photo !, the glory days of the British Fire service, the fifties and sixties. I'm sure a few of them would still be in the job when I joined, but I don't readily recognise anyone I bet some of the pensioners would love to see this. Spot the fogrider and front end of his bike , on the left, although it appears to have girder forks whereas our Norton was telescopics, so, quite likely to be an AFS despatch rider to lead them out of the City and beyond ? Love it ! Keep 'em coming !

First machine I rode in July 1968.Fantastic. Looks fairly well presented, but the hook ladder on its R/H side roof wasn't something we carried. I was told the City stopped carrying hook ladders after WW2. There would have been a roof ladder though. Strangely, we still did hook ladder training at the Birmingham training school. Up to the 4th floor on the outside. Said to be confidence training, wether we used them at jobs or not ! I remember seeing Ken Blatherwick back the TL into the front of UAU, nearside screen pillar all smashed in. No idea who mended it, a local coachbuilder

What a crazy chassis ! All the weight over twin drive axles , I reckon that would go straight ahead on a wet bend and scrub front tyres off in the dry. I bet the drivers hated it Great pic though !

Correct, up that lane behind the Cortina was Lambert Cottages. From some research I did into the Dakins fire, I read that Dakin and Stirling owned Lambert Cottages as well as that terrace on the left, after the Cort, 72 to 82 Talbot Street. They had applied in 1966 to demolish the lot, both those terraces as well as the storage building. That was to build a huge "modern" office type building. It was refused. Strange that in 1969 the major fire occurred !, still for sale at the time (Walker Walton and Hansons for sale board can be seen above the wall on that 'morning after the fire'

In a similar vein, there are four Nottingham trolley buses at the Sandtoft Trolley bus museum, well worth a visit on a running day for public transport fans

Did'nt spot those trousers in boots and would never had guessed American Paratroopers, a long long way from home and further to go still - brave lads

Those uniforms have a sort of American/Canadian look, but the headwear is unfamiliar. Polish maybe? Military uniform not my world. I wonder how many of those unfortunates survived 'till 1945 ? Or even to the end of June '44...……..

Nope, don't recognise anyone. But, the back of that machine doesn't look like a City machine. Not sure where Parrs were, somewhere on the outskirts ? I don't remember when we changed from black leggings to the yellow "trousers", the county had them before us I'm sure and there are both types on the photo. I suspect City and County were working together . Another interesting find Ian, great to see

That's a great view Clifton, 116 really does stand out, must be the boss's house !

Fishfinger, Dakins building was where Bowmans House is now, that grey 4 storey (plus a lower ground) building backing onto the general cemetary. I don't think there is a specific thread, some of the references were created when I was doing some research on that building. Nottstalgia put me on track for aerial photo's (picture the past) and old maps. Thanks to Clifton ,on here, those extra details have helped me complete a detailed story of that fire. The building was demolished soon after the fire (1969) as it was declared dangerous.