| Picture No: | 7287 | Courtesy of: | Pete Matten | Year: | 2008 |
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1950's Bedford 4x2 Emergency Pump(Green Goddess).
The A.F.S.(Auxiliary Fire Service)was formed in 1948, and for many years had only the use of inherited old war time vehicles,but it was very clear at that time the demand of another war would require a different and much larger fleet of firefighting vehicles.By the mid 1950's,exact details of the design process are difficult to find,but the Bedford chassis for most were chosen because it was the base for the new army trucks being introduced around about that time. Some ten body building firms added the firefighting bodies to the chassis which initially were in rear wheel drive only (the'S'chassis)and later,the majority,as 4x4(the'R'chassis),and by the mid 50's delivery of the new Bedford emergency pumps (EPs) knicknamed later as the "Green Goddess"commenced with a vast majority going straight into storage where they would remain for many years. The A.F.S.was disbanded on the 31st March 1968,almost twenty years after its creation and its fleet,which amounted to thousands of pumps,lorries,etc-returned to Home Office depots throughout the country. Many were sold at the time,and many were donated to Third World countries,many though,actually just over 1,000 remained in storage,well maintained by contractors until they might ever be needed again,and in actual fact,in 1977 during the firemans strike,850 vehicles were released to the Armed Forces to give fire cover across the UK.In 1986,several vehicles were again taken out of storage again,this time to assist in major heath fires across the country,especially in Hampshire.In 1987,Kent Fire Brigade hired ten Green Goddess's to assist during a particular severe winter.Again in 1995,the West Sussex Fire Brigade requested the assistence of the famous green beast the "Green Goddess",this time to assist in a pumping roll when severe flooding hit the City of Chichester so brigades operational appliances could be kept available. The 1950's Bedford"Green Goddess"emergency pump,an appliance all on its own and that can certainly be classed as one of the finest firefighting vehicles ever produced by the company of Bedford.
Picture Added on 05 April 2008.
