London Fire Brigade Gallery

Fire Brigade street fire alarm call post

A passer-by pulls a fire alarm to notify the fire brigade of an incident. By the outbreak of the First World War the London Fire Brigade area was well covered with electric fire alarms. On breaking the glass cover, the brass handle was pulled and this would register at the fire station the precise location of the alarm. The instruction on the alarm says: ?Wait for Engine?, so that the caller could then direct the crew into action

© London Fire Brigade / Mary Evans Picture Library

London Fire Brigade Fire King appliance with crew

A London Fire Brigade Fire King appliance with crew. In 1899 Merryweather of Greenwich modified its steamer pumps to also propel the vehicle, and thus London's first non-horse-drawn fire engines arrived. Unfortunately the Fire Kings, as they were called, were slow (12 mph maximum) and cumbersome to steer. Stopping was also a problem as they weighed 5.5 tons

© London Fire Brigade / Mary Evans Picture Library

Firefighters and winter snows, WW2

The early winters of the Second World War were snowy with numerous falls of one or two feet and occasional falls (such as in 1940-1941) in which snow depths of up to 16 feet (drifts) were recorded. The south was quite badly affected, although more particularly the south west and Wales. The winter of 1939-1940 saw the supposed 'blizzard of the decade' in Scotland and England when in late January snow fell widely. As seen here, wartime firemen were kept busy keeping their station yards free of snow

© London Fire Brigade / Mary Evans Picture Library