Scope and Content
Includes material as follows:
- fatal fire at 26 Mansfield Road, Luton [see FSD/RR 1/117];
- investigation of a block of flats at Heron Heights, Goldington Green for fire safety*;
- firemen’s anger and refusal to answer all but emergency calls due to lack of improvements to Studley Road Fire Station, Luton*;
- reports on serious gales including destruction of roof of St. George’s church, Toddington and roof of Clarence PH, St.John’s Street, Bedford*;
- photograph of named members of Bedford Fire Brigade aboard their Dennis open top engine outside Mill Street Fire Station, 1920. Names listed as Perkins, Feasy, C Plumbe, Grice, E Hopkins, Dixon, R Northwood, F Berton, Willmer, J Stock, W Mead, Sherman, J T Ashwell, T Northwood, F Corby, F Kingston, Nutting, J Stevens, P Northwood, Henman, Davy, Perrin and B Coy*;
- fire at Beech Road, Luton*;
- change of Beds FS uniform with photograph illustrating changes*;
- photograph of Fm George Davey sitting on Bedford Fire Brigade horse drawn steam pump (probably a Merryweather “London Brigade Pattern”) in front of Mill Street Fire Station*;
- explosion at Hill Top Cafe, Wellington Street, Luton [see FSD/RR 1/125]*;
- photograph of partly named personnel of Bedford Volunteer Fire Brigade and their horse drawn steam pump - “The Bedford Engine”, (presented by the Duke of Bedford), in front of Queen’s Park railway bridge in 1888. Names listed as T C May, Hill, C Mann, Ball Baker, Pearson, Evans, Town, S Freshwater, Darlow, Jelley, Drake, O C Coombs, Porter, and Wood*;
- article on volunteer firemen*;
- fatal fire at Loretta’s Milliners, hat factory, St.Saviour’s Crescent, Luton [see FSD/RR 1/127]*;
- explosion at Dumfries Street, Luton*;
- explosion at Challney High School for Boys, Stoneygate Road, Luton [see FSD/RR 1/132]*;
- article on County Record Office exhibition on large historic fires;
- gas explosion at Runley Road, Luton*;
- firemen at Toddington Fire Station’s refusal to relax manning levels resulting in the Rescue Unit Range Rover being unavailable for a third of the time;
- fire at Grove Road, Luton*;
- fire at London Road, Luton*;
- fire at St.Katherine’s United Reformed Church, Katherine Drive, Dunstable*;
- display of Bedford Modern School Fire Cadet Corps on visit of the Queen to the school*.