history

ON RECORD FROM 1761 THE CARE AND MAINTANANCE OF THE TOWN FIRE
ENGINE WAS OFFICIALY PASSED FROM THE VESTRY TO THE LIGHT AND WATCH
COMMITEE,BUT EVAN AS LATE AS 1890 THE VESTRY WAS INVOLVED IN THE
DISCUSSION OF THE OWNERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT OF THE FIRE ENGINE.
IN 1893 THE LOCAL BOARD ASSUMED RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE FIRE ENGINE
WHO MADE ARRANGEMENTS TO HAVE IT PAINTED AND UNDERTOOK TO PAY
THE RENT OF THE ENGINE HOUSE WHICH AT THAT TIME WAS IN THE
KINGS ARMS YARD.
IN 1898 ONE OF THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE FIRES THAT HAS EVER RAGED
AMPTHILL DESTROYED CLARIDGE AND BERWICKS STABLES IN CLARIDGES
LANE,THE FIRE BRIGADE BROUGHT THERE ENGINE TO THE SCENE BUT LITTLE
COULD BE DONE DUE TO THE LACK OF WATER, AT THIS TIME THE BRIGADE
ITSELF RAN INDEPENDENTLY AND GENERALLY MET EMERGENCIES
ADEQUATELY HOWEVER AFTER THIS FIRE THE CONSCIENCE OF THE COUNCIL
WAS ROUSED AND THE ENGINE WAS REPAIRED,TESTED AND FOUND TO BE
WORKING WELL BUT IN NEED OF 50 FEET OF CANVAS HOSE. AT A MEETING ON
15th SEPTEMBER 1898 IT WAS DECIDED THAT AN OFFICIAL FIRE BRIGADE BE
FORMED,THE VOLUNTARY FIRE BRIGADE WAS ORGANISED WITH A
PRESIDENT,VICE-PRESIDENT,COMMITTEE OF MANAGEMENT AND OTHER
OFFICERS,THE COUNCIL ALSO AGREED TO THE SALE OF THE OLD FIRE ENGINE
FOR �20,A NEW ONE HAVING BEEN OBTAINED AND THEN LEFT THE AFFAIRS OF
THE BRIGADE TO ITS OWN OFFICIALS.
DURING 1902 COLONEL GREEN OF THE AMPTHILL BREWERY HAD A NEW
ENGINE HOUSE DESIGNED BY EDWIN TUTT,WHICH WAS BUILT OPPOSITE THE
BREWERY IN BEDFORD STREET.THE BRIGADE ALTHOUGH STILL INDEPENDANT
OF THE COUNCIL WAS FLOURISHING AND IN MARCH 1910 THE CHAIRMAN OF
THE COUNCIL PRESENTED LONG SERVICE MEDALS TO DEPUTY CAPTAIN
J.W.BONNESS, FOREMAN G.STAPLETON, AND FIREMEN LOWE, W.SUGARS AND NEGUS.
THE NEXT MAJOR EVENT FOR THE BRIGADE WAS THE ACQUISITION IN 1913 OF
A STEAM FIRE ENGINE WHICH WAS PURCHASED THROUGH VOLUNTARY
SUBSCRIPTION,THE ENGINE WAS CHRISTENED AT A CEROMANY IN FRONT OF
PARK HOUSE WHERE LADY AMPTHILL NAMED IT QUEEN VICTORIA,AFTER
WHICH FOLLOWED CAPITAL DRILL WITH THE FIRE ESCAPE IN WHICH
FIREMAN PUTMAN ASCENDED THE ESCAPE AND BROUGHT DOWN FIREMAN
DILLINGHAM ON HIS SHOULDERS.
DURING 1918 THE FIRE BRIGADE ASKED THE COUNCIL'S OPINION ON THERE
SUGESTION THAT THEY SHOULD BE A RATE SUPPORTED INSTITUTION
BASED ON AMPTHILL BUT WITH AGREEMENTS WHICH WOULD ENABLE THEM
TO EXTEND THERE SERVICES TO THE NEIGHBOURING PARISHES,THE COUNCIL
SAID THEY WOULD LOOK IN TO THIS, IN MAY 1919 FOLLOWING
REPRESENTATIONS FROM THE AMPTHILL AND DISTRICT FIRE BRIGADE IT WAS
DECIDED THAT THE BRIGADE BE TAKEN OVER BY THE COUNCIL AND THAT THE
PARISHES OF HOUGHTON CONQUEST,MAULDEN,WESTONING,FLITWICK,
STEPPINGLY AND MARSTON BE INVITED TO ENTER INTO AGREEMENT WITH
THE COUNCIL FOR THE BRIGADES ATTENDANCE WHEN REQUIRED.
A COMMITIE OF THE COUNCIL WAS SET UP AND THE BRIGADE WAS NAMED
THE AMPTHILL URBAN DISTRICT COUNCIL FIRE BRIGADE MR H.G.SMITH
CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITEE WAS APOINTED HON CAPTAIN, J.W.BONNESS DEPUTY CAPTAIN, A.LOWE ENGINEER, AND W.SUGARS FOREMAN, PAYMENTS
WERE ARRANGED -A RETAINING FEE OF 5s 0d A YEAR PAYABLE HALF YEARLY IN
ADVANCE AND 1s 0d FOR EACH DRILL ATTENDED, AND FOR ATTENDING A FIRE
5s 0d AN HOUR FOR THE OFFICER IN CHARGE, 3s 6d FOR EACH MEMBER,2s 0d
FOR PROBATIONERS AND 2s 0d FOR THE CALL BOY. THE BRIGADES EQUIPMENT
INCLUDED THE STEAM FIRE ENGINE AND A MOTOR TRACTOR,A 30hp DAIMLER
WITH HOSE CAR BOTH OF WHICH WERE KEPT IN CONSTANTLY GOOD REPAIR
AND SUBJECT TO MONTHLY EXAMINATION.
IN 1926 AMPTHILL BREWERY WHICH OWNED THE FIRE STATION OFFERED THE
COUNCIL THE FIRE STATION AND A PLOT OF LAND ADJOINING FOR �600, AND A
PURCHASE WAS COMPLETED ON BEHALF OF THE FIRE BRIGADE.THE STEAM
FIRE ENGINE WHICH HAD STOOD THE BRIGADE WELL SINCE 1913 BEGAN TO
SHOW SIGNS OF INADEQUACY AND IN 1928 IT WAS DECIDED TO REPLACE IT
WITH A MOTOR ENGINE, MR GRIMMER OF THE FLIT MOTOR COMPANY WAS
ASKED TO ARRANGE A DEMONSTRATION OF A MORRIS AND A DENNIS ENGINE IN
THE PARK,AFTER BEING SUBMITTED TO FOUR HOURS PUMPING THE MORRIS
PROVED HIGHLY SATISFACTORY AND THE COUNCIL AGREED TO PURCHASE
ONE FOR �835, MR GRIMMER ALOWING THE �35 IN EXCHANGE FOR THE STEAM
ENGINE AND MOTOR TRACTOR.
THE NEW ENGINE TM3680 ARRIVED ON 16th OCTOBER 1928 AND THE COUNCIL
ARRANGED A CEROMONY ON THE SANDS WHERE THE PUMP WAS PUT THROUGH
ITS PACES, A TWO WAY DISPLAY OF THE HYDRANT GAVE A 25ft JET
AND A THREE WAY JET FROM THE ENGINE REACHED TWICE THAT HEIGHT
DEVELOPING A PRESSURE OF 581b PER SQUARE INCH AS AGAINST 35 OFF
THE HYDRANT.
THERE WERE CHANGES AMONG THE OFFICERS IN 1931 WHEN THE CHIEF
OFFICER RESIGNED AND NEW AND MORE EFFICIENT EQUIPMENT WAS
INVESTIGATED,THE BRIGADE HAD INVESTED IN A SMOKE HELMET-TINDALLS
PATENT RESPIRATOR -AT A COST OF �4 18s 6d AND IN 1933 THEY LOOKED INTO
THE PROVISION OF EXTINGUISHING MATERIALS FOR PETROL FIRES, DRILL
WAS CONSIDERED VERY IMPORTANT AND A GRANT WAS MADE AVAILABLE
EACH YEAR FOR �20 FOR TRAINING EXPENSES,A VITAL PART OF TRAINING
EQUIPMENT WAS HERBERT A LIFE SIZED JOINTED WOODEN DUMMY WHICH
MADE MANY A JOURNEY ON FIREMANS SHOULDERS UP AND DOWN THE
ESCAPE LADDER FROM ROOF TO GROUND LEVEL OF THE WHITE HART
PUBLIC HOUSE.
THE FIRE BRIGADE WAS HEAVILY INVOLVED IN THE WAR EFFORT,IN ADDITION
TO THE REGULAR BRIGADE A NUMBER OF AUXILIARIES HAD BEEN RECRUITED
AND TRAINED IN FIREFIGHTING,PROTECTIVE CLOTHING AND GAS MASKS HAD
BEEN ISSUED AND THE HOME OFFICE SUPPLIED A LIGHT TRAILER PUMP TO
SUPPLEMENT THE EQUIPMENT.THE FIRE STATION CEILINGS WERE
STRENGTHENED AND SHUTTERS MADE FOR THE WINDOWS, INSTRUCTIONS
WERE GIVEN THAT ON THE SOUND OF THE AIR RAID SIREN ALL PERSONNEL
WERE TO ASSEMBLE AT THE FIRE STATION,EARLY IN 1941 ARRANGEMENTS
WERE MADE FOR A ROTA OF FIREMEN TO STAND BY ALL NIGHT.
LATER ON IN 1941 THE FIRE BRIGADE BECAME A PART OF THE NATIONAL
FIRE SERVICE FIRE FORCE AREA 12 AND SO PASSED OUT OF THE COUNCILS CONTROL. AFTER THE WAR THE N.F.S WAS DISBANDED AND THE
MAINTANANCE OF THE FIRE SERVICE PASSED INTO THE CONTROL OF THE
LOCAL AUTHORITY ALONG WITH THE FIRE STATION.
IN 1951 THE LOCAL AUTHORITY PROPOSED THAT A NEW FIRE STATION BE
BUILT IN OLIVER STREET,THIS WAS DESIGNED BY THE COUNTY ARCHITECT
S.VINCENT GOODMAN AND OPENED ON SATURDAY 22nd MAY 1954 BY SIR
ARTHUR HUTCHINSON THE DEPUTY UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE.