Scope and Content
Includes material as follows:
- fire at thatched cottage, 11 Little Lane, Clophill*;
- fatal fire at 134 Montrose Avenue, Luton [see FSD/RR 1/305]*;
- RSPCA award to two firemen for rescuing a dog from a storm drain*;
- fire in a hedge stops play in Minor Counties cricket match Beds v.Cumberland at Henlow*;
- fire at Henlow Grange Health Farm*;
- new fire control room at FSHQ*;
- arson at Dog Farm Filling Station, Cople*;
- brief article on fire which destroyed Luton Bowls Club pavilion in 1952 [see also FSD/PH 5/15]*;
- need for £3,000 to renovate FSHQ’s Shand & Mason steam fire engine [see also FSD/PC 31]*;
- FS warnings re fire safety at Christmas;
- fatal fire at 24 Kirkman Close, Bedford [see FSD/RR 1/311]*;
- CFO Morphew’s criticism of BCC Nuclear Free Zone policy preventing Beds FS formulating plans to deal with nuclear and non-nuclear emergencies*;
- photograph of partly named Ampthill & District Fire Brigade personnel with their open top fire engine in Woburn Road, Ampthill in 1928. Those named: Albert Lowe, Jim Brooks, Albert Putman, Norman Foster and Ron Underwood.*;
- National Communications Union members refusal to repair telephone lines in emergency situations;
- finding of an unexploded German WWII fire bomb in High Street, Silsoe;
- lightning strike at Redborne Upper School as pupils sat CSE exams*;
- chronic shortage of firemen at Ampthill Fire Station*;
- arson in derelict barn at Bury Farm, Goldington Road, Bedford*;
- article on antique Ampthill fire engine used for display purposes in Devon, includes photograph of engine and unnamed personnel at its naming by Lady Ampthill in 1913*;
- undermanning of retained firemen at Leighton Buzzard Fire Station;
- BCC Public Protection Cttee report on Beds FS ageing fire appliances and out dated administrative procedures*;
- arson at Cham’s Retreat chip shop, New Bedford Road, Luton*;
- aircraft crash exercise at Luton Airport*;
- fire at Polish ex-servicemen’s Club, Villa Road, Luton*;
- fire at Pizzaland, High Street, Bedford*;
- fire in Cessna 152 light aircraft, Cranfield airfield*;
- Beds FS deliberately set two houses in Fields road, Wootton alight for training purposes*;
- fatal crash of light aircraft into level crossing at Tempsford*;
- fire, possibly arson, at Financial Planning Services Management Ltd. offices, Mill Street, Bedford*;
- delivery of refurbished WT at Woburn Fire Station*;
- gas explosion at Edward Road, Bedford*;
- arson at Bunyan Centre, Bedford*;
- FBU threat to withdraw from exercise in Sharnbrook railway tunnel if army participation not restricted to playing the parts of victims;
- fatal fire at Swallow Close, Luton;
- arson at Hart Hill Infants School, Luton*;
- FBU threat to strike re loss of 28 firemen’s jobs in Luton and 12 in Bedford*;
- CFO Morphew’s attack on FBU strike threat as posturing;
- arson at Stony Lane , Stevington*;
- fire in thatched cottages, High Street, Riseley*;
- FBU criticism of plans to withdraw Bedford’s hydraulic platform;
- suspected arson at North End Farm, Wilstead*;
- funeral of SO Dick Jones (Ampthill)*;
- article of fire drills with Green watch and White Watch, Bedford*;
- Kempston firemen John Rackley, Paul Brown and Dave Bowen on standby to take part in rescue operations following earthquake in Armenia*;
- arson at Scott Lower School, Bedford*;
- lack of applications for job of DCFO;
- article on fire safety;
- claim of nepotism in Beds FS by rejected recruit;
- fire at Ye Olde Plough PH, Bolnhurst*;
- arson at Maidenhall Infants School, Luton*;
- height restriction of 6’4” maximum height for firemen;
- fatal fire at Connaught Road, Luton;
- fire safety officers blamed for Irish club deciding not to use an upstairs room at Bedford West End Club;
- LFm Pat Moore (Stopsley) winner of Fireman of the Year*;
- FS looking to housewives after employers refuse to let their employees act as retained firemen;
- arson at an Asian family’s home in Waller Avenue, Luton*;
- fire at Holland Road, Luton*;
- fire at Highfield Road, Luton*;
- fire at Fish ‘n Chicken, London Road, Bedford*;
- arson at Warden plastics, Caleb Close, Luton*;
- arson at Copes Coasters, New Bedford Road, Luton*;
- fire injuries at a barbecue, Coverdale, off Toddington Road, Luton*;
- suspected arson at Scout Hut, Church Road, Slip End;
- fireman driving a WT, under instruction, crashes it into a house, Box End, Kempston*;
- fire at Hudson Close, Lidlington*;
- FS stretched by false alarms and fires started by carelessness in hot weather, includes photograph of thatched cottage in Wilden*;
- fire at thatched Lilac Cottage, Colesden Road, Wilden*;
- fatal fire at Station Road, Marston Moretaine*;
- fire at Williamson Road, Kempston*;
- suspected arson in Dutch Barn at moat Farm, Marston Moretaine (home of Bedford RUFC captain Mark Howe)*.