Coventry Fire Brigade (inc. Hales Street Fire Station)

from 18 Apr 2010

Very nicely framed MR and a similar angle on the fire station as the old photo. Pity that the scene is littered with posts.

This is a beautiful photo - the color is gorgeous. Talk about the old and the new with the other buildings in the background.

I have the honour of being the next custodian of a 9ct Gold Half-Hunter pocket watch. The watch had been presented in January 1939 to Mr Arthur Ernest Marshall after 38 years service in the fire brigade. Acquired from a family member, it also came with a large collection of photographs, newspaper cuttings/articles, commemorative books and other paperwork.

What a wonderful example of a watch. Do you have any idea if it was made in Coventry?

Sadly, it is not a Coventry made watch, but has a Swiss movement and the gold case was made by Benson Brothers (Samuel & Roger) of 72 Wood Street in Liverpool with a 1930 Chester hallmark.

New to the forum & Albert was my lovely grandad! I do remember the story of him driving straight over a roundabout but not that he hit a tram nor where the roundabout was! Any more stories about him would be lovely to hear as he died when I was quite young.

Hi Helenhs, welcome to the forum Glad you found something about your grandfather. Oddsock pops in now and then but also has their contact button enabled, so if you want to get in touch, you can try that. The crash wasn't as careless as it sounds because at the time the layout was very different to today. See photo below. It was 11:45 at night. The war had started (perhaps explaining why he was being used as an ambulance driver). It only mentions damage to the offside wing. The ambulance was travelling towards Hertford Street with injured returning from hospital after treatment. Blackouts had just started 12 days earlier.

Until the nationalisation of the fire service and the creation of the NFS (August 1941). The Coventry Fire Brigade, which had started the Ambulance Service, also ran it. Firemen doing both jobs.

Fire Service houses. 1931-2 houses leased, converted into 2 self-contained flats, 1932-another house leased and converted, 1933-3 houses acquired, 1934-1 house acquired. February 1937-36 firemen housed thus, Chief Officer in Fire Station, 6 married men in flats owned by the department, 6 married men in flats (divided private houses) leased to the Briigade, 7 single men in lodgins in Priory Street & Fairfax Street, the remainder, married men were in their own houses in the vicinity of the fire station. June 1937 when the Chantries area was cleared, Sir Alfred Herbert sold the major portion of the land to the Corporation. He and his architect had final word on what was built. The 1st set of plans for 24 houses was turned down. A 2nd scheme was presented for 16 houses, also turned down. The 3rd set of plans for 10 houses was agreed on. Mr H. Darbyshire of Wigan was the lowest tenderer and built the houses. 1950/51-4 houses on Fletchamstead Highway and 2 houses on Foleshill Road. October 1956-10 houses completed in Freehold Street for members of the Brigade. All houses were maintained and repaired by the fire service and firemen, but, only when on duty. So it did occur that, when an emergency call came into the station some firemen were away working on the houses. 1st April1963- all of the properties, 26 in number, transferred from the Fire Service to the Corporation Housing Department.

Whilst rooting around in old files, before retiring an old Windows PC, I stumbled across this, still active as I type, Coventry Evening Telegraph article about Coventry's Pink Fire Appliences/Engines.... Coventry Evening Telegraph: This is why Coventry firefighters once drove around in HOT PINK fire engines [also in Post 80: Coventry Firsts]

It was always my belief that the reason that Coventry fire engines needed to be another colour was the sodium street lighting found on all of the main roads in the city during the 60's and 70's. These lights produced a very orange light and so most colours appeared to be a very subdued grey, it was difficult to decide that the cars in the street were red, blue, or green. The invention of Coventry Fire Brigade Yellow paint solved this issue. During daylight hours the fire engines were highly visible in their bright yellow livery, but more importantly at night they shone out a bright silver colour which again made them highly visible. The pink paint was another variation on visibility under the orange glow of the sodium street lights. Eventually the sodium street lights were replaced with more modern fluorescent lights so the need to have yellow or pink fire engines was gone. Coventry Fire Brigade Yellow paint lives on as the preferred livery of many airport fire appliances.

Member 'Jerry' has asked me to relate his own memories of the Hales Street Fire Station.... Here is my penny worth of the past and Yellow Fire Tenders for what it's worth. Born in '32 I was used to being lifted to see the shiny red engines through closed door windows at night and sometimes half in or out on the pavement being polished in good weather. One day there was suddenly a bright shiny yellow tender in the end bay doorway, I think it would have been 1935. Around that time we moved out to Keresley. In short the 'Ducati' Property area of today was in my day the 'Keresley Fire Station', complete with 'Yellow Tenders', no heavy turntable vehicles, just 2 Tenders used mostly to put out odd grass fires. Some equipment was in traditional red but small plant stuff. The whole rear area seems to be roofed in now but pre war the rear was open yard accessed down the same ramp as today to the open Garage bays under the Station. Was used as a temporary Air raid Shelter during heavier night raids during the war. Jerry