Fire Engines Photos

Lovely shot Ian, thanks for sharing it with us.

Added by Chris Wood on 28 February 2009.

I'm sure this is in the back of Middlesbrough Fire Station yard? and look at the brigade car in the background!! It looks like a Hillman Husky of some sort in the Teesside livery!did you get a pic of that also Ian?
Am I correct in thinking that this was originally a Wheeled Escape?

Added by Chris Hall Teesside UK. on 28 February 2009.

Thanks Ian, next to the Bedford another British stalwart!

Added by John Stott on 01 March 2009.

I 'clashed' the escape off the back of that F12 a time or two !!! Great pic...yes it was taken at the then HQ Middlesbrough........I cannot recall Husky staff cars though.....mostly Minivans, white Mk1 Viva's and ay least one Austin A40 Countryman

Added by Barrie Green on 01 March 2009.

To Barrie Greene, I wonder if it's the Austin Countryman then? Perhaps Ian will oblige us with a photo of it?

Added by Chris Hall Teesside UK. on 01 March 2009.

Cleveland didn't haved a Husky, but Teesside did - having inherited it from Middlesbrough CB. I don't have a shot of it, but somewhere, I should have a list of ancillary vehicles that Teesside inherited. I remember the Husky (used by the ADO at Middlesbrough) became "Tango 70".

Added by Ian Moore on 01 March 2009.

Based on the evidence that the car in the background is in Teesside livery, and this is Middlesbrough Headquarters, I would say that the car behind is Tango 70, Middlesbrough's Husky in Teesside livery.

Added by Chris Hall Teesside UK. on 01 March 2009.

Hello Mr Moore what can i say, absolute heaven, thanks very much for the brilliant pics im really glad that you and other people had the forsight to take pictures of these machines. I seem to remember a Hillman or Morris traveler being used as an officers car . thanks Ian Mc

Added by Ian Mcpherson on 01 March 2009.

Quite right Chris - they reliveried quite a few of the ancillary vehicles, but I don't think the A40 Countryman (as mentioned by Barrie and which had been at Stockton) was done in red and white.

Added by Ian Moore on 01 March 2009.

No it wasnt liveried.....didnt even have a beacon.....I seem to thnk it was grey but it was a long time back. I still cannot recall the Husky...maybe it had gone when I started at Teesside. Certainly the duty officer used to turn out in the A40 when I was there.

Added by Barrie Green on 01 March 2009.

Ian, I love this pic, brings back memories for me too. Pity workshops stuck the blue light on crooked, nevermind, ,

Added by Pav on 05 March 2009.

Hi Ian, I've just thought, do you have any views of Billingham's AEC's? or Marine's Ford 'A' series either at Marine or with it's second owner (the chemicals factory near Darlington)

Added by Chris Hall Teesside UK. on 12 March 2009.

Pav.......I dont think the beacon was 'stuck on crooked' if you look at the profile of the cab roof you will see that it is very curved. Bear in mind that the appliance originally had twin amber flashers in the window above the windscreen and that rotary beacons were very new....plinths, which would have mounted the beacon vertical, were not available and the more obvious position ie centrally, was already occupied by the siren.

Added by Barrie Green on 14 March 2009.

Chris,
Yes, I have - I'll have a look for them after a few hours sleep. Incidentally, Barrie is right about the beacon on KVN too, plinths were not on the market at the time.

Added by Ian Moore on 16 March 2009.

The Hillman refered to was the Middlesbrough Fire Brigades 3rd. Officers car called Stan Haggarth at the time 1958ish the Deputy (Percy Grey) had a black A40 and the Chief (Alf Leyland) then (Johnson) a black Vauxhall Wyvern

Added by Alan Swales on 26 February 2010.

Ah yes Mr Johnson 'shut those appliance room doors' I can hear him shouting now !!!!

Added by Barrie Green on 26 February 2010.

Came across this site by chance, and couldn't help but put Alan Swales right on a small, but to me a very important point. My father's name was Stan Haggath (not Haggarth)and he was most insistant that it was spelt correctly. I have vivid memories of sitting on the rear garden wall of 111 Park Road South (by this time he was deputy chief)and watching this appliance and others similar being put through their paces. Does anyone have a picture of the silver appliance with the black removable cab roof (to get under the low bridge that is now the underpass near to the Cellnet Stadium ? My dad developed the deigns for that in conjunction with the manufacturer (Denis ?) I can't remember him driving the Hillman staff car, ( I was only 5 in 1958) but I can remember a white Vauxhall Viva. He used to take me out in it on a Sunday morning "checking hydrants".

Added by Graham Haggath on 28 September 2010.

Graham, there are several pics of the Dennis Water Tender with removable roof on this site.....The appliance still lives....its at a motor museum at Shildon, County Durham. I remember hearing Mr Haggarths name but he retired before I started

Added by Barrie Green on 28 September 2010.

Barrie,
You've done it again ............ the name's Haggath!!!
I've searched the site and found the pictures, thanks .... brings back memories.
As a point of interest, my son Lee is currently stationed at Thornaby Fire Station. Must be something in the Blood !!!
My dad retired in April 1972, and unfortunately passed away in 1996 before seeing his grandson follow in his footsteps.

Added by Graham Haggath on 28 September 2010.

Whoops sorry Graham slip of the finger, it was very late when I typed it. I bet he is very proud looking down on his grandson !!!!!

Added by Barrie Green on 29 September 2010.

This machine was at Redcar for a while and my father drove it on many occasions due to the fact that as a ex-bus driver he was familiar with crash gearboxes. He also says that stopping could be interesting as by the time he drove it in the early 1970s the brakes were past their prime - sometimes they worked, some times they didn't!

Added by Neil on 26 April 2012.

I was a fulltime fireman at Old Grangetown Fire Station from 71 till it closed and we relocated in the new station Dennis KVN 344 was and fabulous machine to drive, it was No:1 machine with Bedford 7CPY being No:2 until we took delivery of the AEC Pump ladder. KVN 344. DD1 at Middlesbrough had crash boxes , which were easy to drive once you got use to them.

Added by James D Newcombe on 19 June 2015.

This machine came to Redcar from the reserve fleet, possibly 1975-76 after having had a respray; and there was a memo, from the ACO I think, threatening dire consequences for anyone who scratched the pristine paintwork.

Having ridden in the back on a few shouts I can confirm that it was a flying machine, especially up the Trunk Road to ICI or British Steel.

Added by Mike Smith on 16 May 2018.

Was the Francis siren already fitted when it arrived from North Riding, or was it subsequently added? I didn’t think North Riding used sirens.

Added by Steve on 02 April 2023.

The Francis rolling sirens were very distinctive. Great for a fire engine mad Teesside kid because there was never any confusion with Police or Ambulance vehicles as they used two tones.

Added by CraigW on 05 April 2023.

Yes CraigW. I live in Leeds and virtually the entire fleet had them from the ‘50s to the early ‘70s. I well remember their wailing sound. Incidentally Leeds city ambulances also had sirens, but these were small, high pitched and very piercing.
Very few ambulance services in the U.K. seemed to have used them, although I believe Manchester and Bath/Avon did too.

Added by Steve on 05 April 2023.

Retrofitting blue beacons on older appliances like the F12 were indeed quite a challenge. Darlington solved it by placing a single beacon in the center at the front of the roof, which was presumably the flattest area. This was not an option on the Dennis in this photo, unless of course the siren was moved out of the way. By 1960 mounting plinths had been in use in Germany for quite a while, and could presumably have been bought and modified to fit.

Added by Rob Johnson on 05 April 2023.

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