Online exhibition
Chesham Fire Brigade
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20th century to present day
Upon its formation, the Chesham Fire Brigade was alerted of fires by a ‘running call’. This would involve someone running or riding on horseback to the fire station where the fire station bell would be rung to round up the fire-fighters. This system was later replaced by the use of electronic bells, installed in the fire fighter’s homes and connected to the fire station by overhead wire.
New additions to the Brigade’s equipment included the purchase of a horse drawn steamer fire engine in September 1912 and in 1913 ‘Rob Roy’ canvas hoses replaced the Brigade’s leather hoses. Chesham Fire Brigade never owned the horses that pulled their fire engines, but were dependent on renting horses from local businesses, including the Crown Inn and the George Inn.
By 1938 Chesham’s fire station was located at Upper High Street but following World War II the station moved to its current location on Bellingdon Road. At this time most fire incidents involved domestic chimney fires, factories and vehicle incidents.
In November 1994 the ‘new’ Chesham Fire Station opened on Bellingdon Road as part of the Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service.
Wartime Chesham
In this period Chesham Fire Brigade experience a lot of change. By 1920 Chesham’s population had grown to around 8,000 and war introduced new threats to public safety. The Fire Brigade saw key advances in technology, with the purchase of a motorised Leyland fire engine in 1923, which they christened ‘Norah’. 1937 saw the introduction of the 999 emergency number.
In the build up to World War II, in the summer of 1939, the Government issued a series of public information leaflets with the aim of preparing Britain for war. Leaflet No. 1: ‘Some Things You Should Know if War Should Come’, issued in July 1939, warns the reader of the possibility of an air attack and the threat of firebombs:
An air attack may bring large numbers of small incendiary bombs, which might start so many fires that the Fire Brigades could not be expected to deal with them all. Everyone should be prepared to so all he can to tackle a fire started in his own house.’
Public information leaflet No. 5 ‘Fire Precautions in War Time’, issued in August 1939, provides advice of how to prevent and tackle home fires, and what to do in the event of a firebomb. As well as alerting the public to the risks of fire, wartime saw the formation of the Chesham Auxiliary Fire Brigade to support defence against wartime threats. At this time the use of sirens was reserved exclusively to warn of the threat of an air raid.
Britannia boot and shoe works fire – January 1968
A serious fire broke out at the Britannia boot and shoe works’ factory. The fire destroyed the factory roof and the top floor of the building collapsed.
It was so cold that when Chesham Fire Brigade arrived to extinguish the fire, the water from their hoses froze creating a sheet of ice on Addison Road.
