London Fire Brigade

When I was a child in London there was built, at the bottom of our street, a huge building that was the Headquarters of the London Fire Brigade. There was a grand opening by King George VI. The front opened on to the Embankment in Lambeth with exit doors for about seven fire engines.

Their was a drill yard where the trainee firemen practised their craft. In the yard was a narrow 100 foot tower with windows on each floor. We watched the displays where the firemen would hook a ladder over the window sill and climb up and the sit astride the window sill and hook the ladder on to the next one up, It took some nerve . Dummies were brought out and lowered to the ground. Occasionally the dummy would be dropped causing much mirth among us children. This was not a good thing ! We liked to watch the turntable ladder being raised. All the young boys would be wishing to ride on it.

The firemen also had to learn to control the heavy hose squirting water into the windows. Next to the HQ was a small ancient public house. I remember the water from the hose missing its target and flooding over the pub roof. One wag who was watching said "That's watered his wallop down a bit".