Fire Engines Photos

A great picture Ian. Did you notice the Austin Van to the left of the picture? It was the 'Photographic Unit'. Also the recruits on the first floor balcony practising knots and lines. The white tower in the background, just beyond the Merryweather pump is the ventilation chamber for the underground Brigade Control Room. The area to the left of it was an entrance into the yard, but when Lambeth was originaly designed, would have been a dock for the fireboats. Unfortunately it was changed when it was decided to build the 'bomb proof' underground control room. The TL instructors used to have a shiny waterproof top to their service caps. Ah such memories!

Added by Murray Beale on 07 February 2012.

Hi Murray

I thought 'pre war' or open TL crews caps had the 'waterproof top' to prevent the caps from getting soiled from any grease or oil that was on the ladders above their heads ? wheteher this tradition was carried on by the instructors I don't know ?

Added by Rick Loudon on 09 February 2012.

The plastic cover on caps for Brigade Instructors was common. when I was on my recruit course back in 71 in Liverpool all the instructors had them. Later when I went as a B.A instructor in 77 the cover had gone and we had a Red Lanyard.

Added by Dave Price on 10 February 2012.

You may well be right Rick, but in my day it was only the instructors that had the 'shiny top' hats. I know many of the older TL drivers had gauntlets and goggles issued to them. By the time I joined we were only trained on Merryweather Hydraulic and Magirus TLs. The problems came when I was at Plaistow and we had the ex Essex Dennis Metz F27 TL XEV 978 as a spare and none of us could work it! It didn;t worry me too much as I was a LFm by then, but they had to shuffle TL drivers around to get someone who could operate it! I will post a picture of ELL 121 shortly, featuring my father in law, who was the chargehand of the TL section in Lambeth Workshops.

Added by Murray Beale on 10 February 2012.

Murray - Yes, it was indeed the Photographic Van, which if memory serves me rightly was at the time XLC 129.

Added by Ian Moore on 10 February 2012.

Ha ha Murray ! I remember getting detatched to Hull Central one night and being put on the TL (a Magirus) because I was a TL operator (a Metz and Merryweather )! I had'nt the heart to tell them otherwise so spent a quiet ish nite there !

Added by Rick Loudon on 10 February 2012.

Ian Do you have any more photos from this shoot? I am always looking for photos of GGK 946. Thank you

Added by Rodger Birchfield on 25 February 2012.

Thank you...

Added by Rodger Birchfield on 30 December 2017.

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