National Fire Service
Encyclopedia
The National Fire Service (NFS) was the single fire service created in Great Britain
in 1941 during the Second World War; a separate National Fire Service (Northern Ireland) was created in 1942.Bangor Fire Brigade: A Brief History
The NFS was created in August 1941 by the amalgamation of the wartime national Auxiliary Fire Service
(AFS) and the local authority
fire brigades (about 1,600 of them). It existed until 1948, when it was again split by the Fire Services Act 1947
, with fire services reverting to local authority control, although this time there were far fewer brigades, with only one per county
and county borough
.
The NFS had full-time and part-time members, male and female. Its uniform was the traditional dark blue double-breasted tunic, and it adopted the peaked cap
worn by the AFS instead of the peak
less sailor-style cap which had been worn by many pre-war fire brigades (including the London Fire Brigade
). The peaked cap was retained by fire services after the war.
When they were on duty, but in the frequent long stretches between calls, many firemen and firewomen performed vital wartime manufacturing work, in workshops in the fire stations or adjacent to them. This was entirely voluntary, but since many of the wartime personnel had worked in factories before the war it was work with which they were familiar and skilled.
War service meant considerable risk, and members of the NFS were called to attend the aftermath of German bombing raids and coastal shelling from France, or often whilst these attacks were still ongoing. Casualties were inevitable, and there is one record of one volunteer who died on duty aged just 19, and was awarded the Certificate for Gallantry as a result.http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=3115241 He is buried in the Hamilton Road Cemetery, Deal, Kent.
The Chief of the Fire Staff and Inspector-in-Chief throughout the war (until 28 February 1947, when he retired) was Sir Aylmer Firebrace, former Chief Officer of the London Fire Brigade.
At peak strength the NFS had 370,000 personnel, including 80,000 women. The women were mostly employed on administrative duties.
The NFS was divided into about forty Fire Forces. These were subdivided into Divisions. Each Division had two Columns and each Column had five Companies.
An eleven-minute Second World War documentary that chronicles the birth and work of the NFS survived the war and is available to view on the British Pathe website.
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
in 1941 during the Second World War; a separate National Fire Service (Northern Ireland) was created in 1942.Bangor Fire Brigade: A Brief History
The NFS was created in August 1941 by the amalgamation of the wartime national Auxiliary Fire Service
Auxiliary Fire Service
The Auxiliary Fire Service was first formed in 1938 in Great Britain as part of Civil Defence Air raid precautions. Its role was to supplement the work of brigades at local level. In this job it was hampered severely by the incompatibility of equipment used by these different brigades - most...
(AFS) and the local authority
Local government in the United Kingdom
The pattern of local government in England is complex, with the distribution of functions varying according to the local arrangements. Legislation concerning local government in England is decided by the Parliament and Government of the United Kingdom, because England does not have a devolved...
fire brigades (about 1,600 of them). It existed until 1948, when it was again split by the Fire Services Act 1947
Fire Services Act 1947
-General Arrangement of the Act:-Scotland:The FRSA 2004 extended only to England and Wales, thus leaving the FSA 1947 in force in Scotland. Most of the 1947 Act was later repealed by the FSA 2005, which left ss...
, with fire services reverting to local authority control, although this time there were far fewer brigades, with only one per county
Counties of the United Kingdom
The counties of the United Kingdom are subnational divisions of the United Kingdom, used for the purposes of administrative, geographical and political demarcation. By the Middle Ages counties had become established as a unit of local government, at least in England. By the early 17th century all...
and county borough
County borough
County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control. They were abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 in England and Wales, but continue in use for lieutenancy and shrievalty in...
.
The NFS had full-time and part-time members, male and female. Its uniform was the traditional dark blue double-breasted tunic, and it adopted the peaked cap
Peaked cap
A peaked cap, forage cap, barracks cover, or combination cap is a form of headgear worn by the armed forces of many nations and also by many uniformed civilian organizations such as law enforcement agencies...
worn by the AFS instead of the peak
Visor
A visor is a surface that protects the eyes, such as shading them from the sun or other bright light or protecting them from objects....
less sailor-style cap which had been worn by many pre-war fire brigades (including the London Fire Brigade
London Fire Brigade
The London Fire Brigade is the statutory fire and rescue service for London.Founded in 1865, it is the largest of the fire services in the United Kingdom and the fourth-largest in the world with nearly 7,000 staff, including 5,800 operational firefighters based in 112 fire...
). The peaked cap was retained by fire services after the war.
When they were on duty, but in the frequent long stretches between calls, many firemen and firewomen performed vital wartime manufacturing work, in workshops in the fire stations or adjacent to them. This was entirely voluntary, but since many of the wartime personnel had worked in factories before the war it was work with which they were familiar and skilled.
War service meant considerable risk, and members of the NFS were called to attend the aftermath of German bombing raids and coastal shelling from France, or often whilst these attacks were still ongoing. Casualties were inevitable, and there is one record of one volunteer who died on duty aged just 19, and was awarded the Certificate for Gallantry as a result.http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=3115241 He is buried in the Hamilton Road Cemetery, Deal, Kent.
Hamilton Road Cemetery, Deal, Kent.
Hamilton Road Cemetery is a combined municipal and military burial ground situated in the coastal town of Deal, Kent, in South East England. Opened in May 1856, it was created to provide a new burial ground for Deal at a time when its general population was expanding and when previous, often ad hoc...
The Chief of the Fire Staff and Inspector-in-Chief throughout the war (until 28 February 1947, when he retired) was Sir Aylmer Firebrace, former Chief Officer of the London Fire Brigade.
At peak strength the NFS had 370,000 personnel, including 80,000 women. The women were mostly employed on administrative duties.
The NFS was divided into about forty Fire Forces. These were subdivided into Divisions. Each Division had two Columns and each Column had five Companies.
Ranks
| National Fire Service Ranks | |||||
| Men | Women | Police equivalent | |||
| Rank | Number in April 1947 | Rank | Number in April 1947 | London Metropolitan Police Service The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police... |
Outside London |
| Fireman | Firewoman | Constable Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions.-Etymology:... |
Constable | ||
| Leading Fireman | Leading Firewoman | ||||
| Section Leader | Senior Leading Firewoman | Sergeant Sergeant Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent.... |
Sergeant | ||
| Company Officer | 1,100 | Assistant Group Officer | 50 | Inspector Inspector Inspector is both a police rank and an administrative position, both used in a number of contexts. However, it is not an equivalent rank in each police force.- Australia :... |
Inspector |
| Senior Company Officer | 250 | Group Officer | 27 | Sub-Divisional Inspector Sub-Divisional Inspector Sub-divisional inspector was a rank used in the London Metropolitan Police from the 1870s or 1880s until 1949. A sub-divisional inspector ranked above an inspector and below a chief inspector. As the title suggests, he or she commanded a sub-division or held an equivalent administrative position... |
Chief Inspector Chief inspector Chief inspector is a rank used in police forces which follow the British model. In countries outside Britain, it is sometimes referred to as chief inspector of police .-Australia:... |
| Column Officer | 382 | Assistant Area Officer | 1 | Chief Inspector | Superintendent Superintendent (police) Superintendent , often shortened to "super", is a rank in British police services and in most English-speaking Commonwealth nations. In many Commonwealth countries the full version is superintendent of police... |
| Divisional Officer | 194 | Area Officer | 11 | Superintendent | Chief Superintendent Chief Superintendent Chief superintendent is a senior rank in police forces organised on the British model.- United Kingdom :In the British police, a chief superintendent is senior to a superintendent and junior to an assistant chief constable .The highest rank below Chief Officer level, chief... |
| Assistant Fire Force Commander | 52 | Regional Woman Fire Officer |
3 | Deputy Commander Deputy Commander Deputy commander was a rank in the London Metropolitan Police which existed between 1946 and 1968.In 1946, the rank of chief constable, which was between superintendent and deputy assistant commissioner, was renamed deputy commander. At the same time, the rank of deputy assistant commissioner was... |
|
| Fire Force Commander | 53 | Commander Commander Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval... |
|||
| Chief Regional Fire Officer | |||||
| Senior Staff Officer | |||||
| Inspector | |||||
| Chief of the Fire Staff & Inspector-in-Chief | 1 | ||||
Notable members
Members of the NFS who were well-known in civilian life (or later became so) included:- A. L. BarkerA. L. BarkerAudrey Lilian Barker FRSL was an English novelist and short story writer. She was born in St Pauls Cray, Kent and brought up in Beckenham. During her lifetime, she published ten collections of short stories and eleven novels, one of which - John Brown's Body - was shortlisted for the Booker Prize...
, writer (NFS telephonist) - Robert Buhler, artist
- Cyril DemarneCyril DemarneCyril Thomas Demarne OBE was a British firefighter. He served in London during the Second World War, throughout the Blitz. He was later involved in establishing aviation firefighting units in Australasia and in Beirut. In retirement, he wrote several books based on his wartime...
, writer - Charles HadfieldCharles Hadfield (historian)Charles Hadfield was a canal historian and the author of many classic works on the British canal system, mostly published by the firm he co-founded, David & Charles.-Biography:...
, canal historian - Joseph Levy, property developer and estate agent (served in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
; won the British Empire MedalBritish Empire MedalThe Medal of the Order of the British Empire for Meritorious Service, usually known as the British Empire Medal , is a British medal awarded for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Crown...
for bravery while on duty) - Brian MooreBrian Moore (novelist)Brian Moore was a Northern Irish novelist and screenwriter who emigrated to Canada and later lived in the United States. He was acclaimed for the descriptions in his novels of life in Northern Ireland after the Second World War, in particular his explorations of the inter-communal divisions of The...
, writer (1941–1942; served in BelfastBelfastBelfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
) - Ernest RaceErnest RaceErnest Race was a textile and furniture designer, born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1913, and died in 1964. His best-known designs are the BA3 aluminium chair of 1945 and the Antelope, designed for the Festival of Britain in 1951. The BA3 won a Gold Medal at the 10th Milan Trienale in 1954, where the...
, furniture designer - George RudéGeorge RudéGeorge Rudé was a British Marxist historian, specializing in the French Revolution and "history from below," especially the importance of crowds in history.-Summary:...
, historian (served in London) - Audrey Russell, radio broadcaster (1941–1942)
- William SansomWilliam SansomWilliam Sansom FRSL was a British novelist, travel and short story writer known for his highly descriptive prose-style...
, writer - Sir Stephen SpenderStephen SpenderSir Stephen Harold Spender CBE was an English poet, novelist and essayist who concentrated on themes of social injustice and the class struggle in his work...
, writer (1941–1944) - Phyllis Stedman, Baroness Stedman, politician (1941–1944; Group Officer in DerbyshireDerbyshireDerbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
) - Irene ThomasIrene ThomasIrene Thomas was a British radio personality, well known for her participation in quiz shows and panel games from the 1960s until her death....
, radio personality (1941–1944)
An eleven-minute Second World War documentary that chronicles the birth and work of the NFS survived the war and is available to view on the British Pathe website.