- Contributed by听
- Torbay Libraries
- People in story:听
- Mr King, Mr Thompson, Ted Mardon, Major Goldsmith, Leo Radford, Jack Eveleigh, Roy Kelland, Raymond Hawke, Harry Richardson, Ted Burrows, Nelson Pollard
- Location of story:听
- Kingswear, South Devon
- Background to story:听
- Civilian Force
- Article ID:听
- A4295108
- Contributed on:听
- 28 June 2005
Kingswear Fire Brigade, left to right: Mr King, Mr Thompson, Ted Mardon, Major Goldsmith, Leo Radford, Jack Eveleigh, Roy Kelland, Raymond Hawke, Harry Richardson, Ted Burrows & Nelson Pollard
This story was submitted to the People's War site by Paul Trainer of Torbay Library Services on behalf of Mr Jack Eveleigh, and has been added to the site with his permission.
At the beginning of World War 2, Kingswear had no fire cover. Any incident would have be dealt with by Dartmouth, involving a ferry crossing or by a long route round by Brixham, so it was decided that Kingswear should have its own Fire Brigade! A trailer pump and a towing vehicle were provided and these were kept in two adjoining lock-up garages in Fore Street, Kingswear. Because the authorities were unable to recruit adults (the excpetions being Mr King, Proprietor of the Riversea Hotel, who was in charge, and Major Goldsmith, a retired army officer) nine teenage lads formed the Fire Crew. The crew were provided with steel helmets, service gas-masks, firemen's hatchets and Wellington boots. Later in the war, a Nissan-type hut was erected over the lock-up garages and the teenage lads enlisted for Military Service. I left the Fire Service in 1941 to join the RAF, where I became an Air Gunner with Bomber Command.
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