Coventry Fire Brigade (inc. Hales Street Fire Station)

That's some ladder!

What was the Fire Brigade doing on the roof of the Hippodrome in October 1949? Was it a fire?

Yes, I think there was one in the kitchens IIRC?

Lots going on within the buildings during the 73yrs 3mths the fire service used the station, but nothing further on the tower from that which I posted in post #111. Not very good as it is only a photocopy, but might bring back memories for you Kaga:

Public display.

Ladders.

20A-Manor House, The windows of the tower were changed many times, they started off with just gaping holes, at various heights.

20A-Manor House, I never saw that ladder, but think it was a brand new toy taken out for airing, as the tower was out of action for really high training, owing to bomb damage. I believe this may have been their tallest ladder at the time, but it sure was a beauty - legs like jelly if you climbed that quickly.

Kaga. It is EVC919, a Leyland Merryweather 100ft TL (turntable ladder) which was new in 1941.

Manor House. Typical of Coventry, they ordered things after the raid. I suppose it's only fair to say they had lost equipment in the raid, but didn't they borrow equipment for a time? You could see that ladder was neither buckled nor marked. I believe the first TL did not have stabilisers, swung in too big an arc - it crashed on its side, seriously injuring a fire-officer who was at the top of it at the time. We went to a farm rick, threw suction pipe into pond. My friend ordered to throw it farther in, feet stuck in mud, fell face first into thick green slime. Fortnight later, grocery store on fire, he was sent to top of TL. TL left unattended, poor guy over fire, he was swung away just in time, eye brows gone, burns etc. Sent to hospital, week later he quit. Sent to rick fire out Barnacle way, we came in Shilton end, County came in the other. We had a snails race to the rick. Rick fires were atrocious to men and machines to clean afterwards.

Courtesy 'The Coventrians' FB pages: Another Coventry fireman, in 1954

I should think he would be wearing a safety harness these days. Even a hard hat.

Again, not a great picture with it being a photocopy. 3 TLs. Left... 1956 SKV899 Dennis-Metz 100ft, Middle... 1933 Leyland-Metz KV5800 90ft, Right... 1941 Leyland Merryweather EVC919 100ft. 2 later TLs added to the fleet were 1959 Dennis-Metz WKV986 100ft & 1964 CDU293B Dennis Haydon-Magirus 100ft.

The stabilisers on EVC919 in that picture at the Hippodrome (post 131) look ridiculously short for such a potential long reach.

I believe it's the one in the middle type that crashed on its side, the one in the middle was the same type that attended Madame Tussauds in London in 1925 so there should not have been a problem, but it was before my time so I wouldn't know.