Coventry Fire Brigade (inc. Hales Street Fire Station)

Hi arthur p, I commiserate with you, yes you never knew what to expect, a terrible experience, Can't help think who allowed you so close, without finding out what was in the shed, sheds where notorious for holding paint tins etc. I send you my best wishes for Xmas, Kaga.

Hello there. I am involved with a group of ex firefighters, who all served at Hales Street fire station. We meet regularly in the fire station at Radford Road, Coventry. If you have any information you need please do not hesitate in contacting me. fireken

Hello fireken, how about Foleshill station, way back early fifties, you know anyone from that time?

Hales St Fire Station, I was stationed there 1958/59, I was on Red Watch? Osborne was Leading Fireman, Clive Matthews was Sub-Officer and George Dipper was Station Officer. I met Clive at a later time and he had been made up to Station Officer.

I remember the sandbags, but don't remember those surrounds, I believe they got ripped open a few times as the tender came out. The building on the right had the bus stop outside a little out of the picture, when it came in from Bell Green. Arthur P, do you recall the Chief Officer had a flat on top floor next to the recreation room, late one night they had a fire in the recreation room, they put the hose down the chiefs chimney.

Those beds, they were a bit close, but then I've seen them closer, and mixed, but that's another story. The house on the right in the other photo was that demolished during the war, I seem to think thats where they had the whale in the fifties? Arthur P, was the record 14 seconds to run out a stand-pipe?

Kaga answer to your first question that happened before my time 1958 I think chief moved to a fire brigade house further up the road. Concerning the standpipe drill I think Clive Matthews sub-officer later station officer did it at Foleshill fire station on an open day.

If memory serves me correctly there was an old Green Goddess always parked in that bay which rarely moved.

As a young shorthand-typist in the very early 60's I was sent to work for about a week from the Typists' Training Section to help out in one of the offices at the Fire Station. I have fond memories of an old fashioned cluttered office with old wooden desks, and naturally, a manual typewriter, no electric ones then. I am not sure which window in the photo was the office I worked in. Quite a change from some of the more modern Council, or Corporation, departments I was sent to help out.

Great photos Neil you've confirmed my memory about the old Green Goddess always being in the left hand bay where the news stand was even though it looks as if it was eventually painted yellow.

Before I did a spell with Coventry Brigade I was a works fireman at Armstrong-Siddeley, Parkside. 1949. On a hot summer's day, and Sunday, one of my 'watch' decided to walk round the factory, he'd been gone ages so a couple of us went to see what was keeping him, we searched the factory and there was no sign of him, so we decided to walk back to the station, but looked around the grounds and heard a faint noise, we traced to a war-time water tank, and found our friend in the tank, barely afloat and alive. We dragged him out, he had decided to cool off and have a swim but once in the tank he could not reach the top of the tank, there were steps on the outside but not on the inside. We let him rest for a time then sent him home saying he was ill, he had a few days off with some false illness and it was never reported, only three of us knew, and we kept 'mum'.

There was definitely a green goddess parked in that bay for many years before that recovery vehicle I sat in it many times as a child as my cousin was a fireman there and he gave me many private tours as a kid.

I've seen it in action. It was used to damp down the Old Morris works after the great fire of Gosford Street when the regular fire engines were needed elsewhere. I can't remember though whether that was after the fire of 1964 or after the fire of 1966?

Hey steady on. I think you are taking Micks reply a little too seriously. I think we are all aware that your knowledge on these issues is first rate, Mick was only commenting, not correcting you.