You are in:
Read BAPCO President Elect’s Wheels of Fire
The use of vehicles and equipment by the fire service during and after the Second World War is explored in a new book by Alan House, BAPCO President Elect and retired Deputy Chief Fire Officer of Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service.
It has taken Alan, a keen historian, five years to research and complete Wheels of Fire, which is his 19th book.
Wheels of Fire explores fire engines of the Auxiliary Fire Service and the National Fire Service between 1938 and 1948. It highlights the problems of supply, the variety of vehicles and the equipment that was used by the fire service as it dealt with the ravages of fire due to the many air raids on the UK during the war.
Alan said: “The provision of vehicles and equipment for use by the fire service during and immediately following World War Two presented a number of challenges and this book highlights these problems and how the National Fire Service got around them.”
Wheels of Fire is available at £22 (+ £5.70 p&p). Proceeds from the book’s sale go to the HFRS Heritage Collection which includes the HFRS “Final Salute” Firefighter Memorial located outside HFRS headquarters.
Home Front Transport: Vehicles of the UK Civil Defence Services 1938-1968, also by Alan House, is a detailed account of the many vehicles used by the Civil Defence Services during World War Two, and those organisations – including the Auxiliary Fire Service, the Civil Defence Corps, the Police and the Food Flying Squads – formed in anticipation of attack during the Cold War period. Proceeds also to the HFRS Firefighter Memorial Garden.
To order a copy, send an email to: carole.hobbs@hantsfire.gov.uk.
