Download or read book Firefighting the Blitz written by Aylmer Firebrace CBE KPM and published by Frontline Books. This book was released on 2021-11-24 with total page 415 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The former Chief Officer of London Fire Brigade offers his account of life in fire services in London and around Britain during World War II. War was coming. Everyone knew that confrontation with Nazi Germany was inevitable, and that London was likely to be a prime target of Hitler’s bombers. So, in January 1939, Aylmer Firebrace, the Chief Officer of London Fire Brigade, was seconded to the Home Office to plan for the capital’s fire defence. Before joining the Fire Brigade, Aylmer Firebrace had been a Royal Navy officer who had fought in the Battle of Jutland during the First World War. It was following the Armistice that, in 1919, he became principal officer in the London Fire Brigade. He was promoted to deputy chief and finally chief officer in June 1938. That war struck London soon enough, but it was on 7 September 1940, that Firebrace’s preparations were truly tested with the start of the Blitz. For the next fifty-seven days and nights London was subjected to the longest continuous bombing campaign in history. Then, as the Luftwaffe ranged wider and further across Britain’s towns and cities, Firebrace was tasked with toured the nation to see the effects of the bombing, at which point he saw the need for a national response. The result was the creation of the National Fire Service. Formed in August 1941, by the amalgamation of some 1,600 separate brigades, this remarkable organisation had, at its peak, a strength of 370,000 men and women. It was led for its entire existence by Aylmer Firebrace. As the war continued, Firebrace became Chief of the Fire Staff and Inspector-in-Chief of the Fires Services, being the first and, to date, only person to head all the fire-fighting services in Britain. This body had to deal with the expansion of the Blitz as well as the so-called “Baedeker” raids, the “tip-and-run” attacks, Baby Blitz and V1 and V2 offensives of the later years of the war. In his fascinating account, written immediately the war, Firebrace reflects on the functioning of the fire service at its most testing time. This book is an essential addition to the understanding of the Blitz and how London and the rest of the country survived its darkest hour.

Download or read book Firefighting the Blitz written by Aylmer Firebrace CBE KPM and published by Frontline Books. This book was released on 2021-10-30 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: War was coming. Everyone knew that confrontation with Nazi Germany was inevitable and that London was likely to be a prime target of Hitler's bombers. So, in January 1939, Aylmer Firebrace, the Chief Officer of London Fire Brigade, was seconded to the Home Office to plan for the capital's fire defence. Before joining the Fire Brigade, Aylmer Firebrace had been a Royal Navy officer who had fought in the Battle of Jutland during the First World War. It was following the Armistice that, in 1919, he became principal officer in the London Fire Brigade. He was promoted to deputy chief and finally chief officer in June 1938.. That war struck London soon enough, but it was on 7 September 1940, that Firebrace's preparations were truly tested with the start of the Blitz. For the next fifty-seven days and nights London was subjected to the longest continuous bombing campaign in history. Then, as the Luftwaffe ranged wider and further across Britain's towns and cities, Firebrace was tasked with toured the nation to see the effects of the bombing, at which point he saw the need for a national response. The result was the creation of the National Fire Service. Formed in August 1941, by the amalgamation of some 1,600 separate brigades, this remarkable organisation had, at its peak, a strength of 370,000 men and women. It was led for its entire existence by Aylmer Firebrace. As the war continued, Firebrace became Chief of the Fire Staff and Inspector-in-Chief of the Fires Services, being the first and, to date, only person to head all the fire-fighting services in Britain. This body had to deal with the expansion of the Blitz as well as the so-called 'Baedeker' raids, the 'tip-and-run' attacks, Baby Blitz and V1 and V2 offensives of the later years of the war. In his fascinating account, written immediately the war, Firebrace reflects on the functioning of the fire service at its most testing time. This book is an essential addition to the understanding of the Blitz and how London and the rest of the country survived its darkest hour.

Download or read book Firefighting the Blitz written by Aylmer Firebrace CBE KPM and published by Frontline Books. This book was released on 2021-12-31 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: War was coming. Everyone knew that confrontation with Nazi Germany was inevitable and that London was likely to be a prime target of Hitler’s bombers. So, in January 1939, Aylmer Firebrace, the Chief Officer of London Fire Brigade, was seconded to the Home Office to plan for the capital’s fire defence. Before joining the Fire Brigade, Aylmer Firebrace had been a Royal Navy officer who had fought in the Battle of Jutland during the First World War. It was following the Armistice that, in 1919, he became principal officer in the London Fire Brigade. He was promoted to deputy chief and finally chief officer in June 1938.. That war struck London soon enough, but it was on 7 September 1940, that Firebrace’s preparations were truly tested with the start of the Blitz. For the next fifty-seven days and nights London was subjected to the longest continuous bombing campaign in history. Then, as the Luftwaffe ranged wider and further across Britain’s towns and cities, Firebrace was tasked with toured the nation to see the effects of the bombing, at which point he saw the need for a national response. The result was the creation of the National Fire Service. Formed in August 1941, by the amalgamation of some 1,600 separate brigades, this remarkable organisation had, at its peak, a strength of 370,000 men and women. It was led for its entire existence by Aylmer Firebrace. As the war continued, Firebrace became Chief of the Fire Staff and Inspector-in-Chief of the Fires Services, being the first and, to date, only person to head all the fire-fighting services in Britain. This body had to deal with the expansion of the Blitz as well as the so-called ‘Baedeker’ raids, the ‘tip-and-run’ attacks, Baby Blitz and V1 and V2 offensives of the later years of the war. In his fascinating account, written immediately the war, Firebrace reflects on the functioning of the fire service at its most testing time. This book is an essential addition to the understanding of the Blitz and how London and the rest of the country survived its darkest hour.

Download or read book Firefighters the Blitz written by Francis Beckett and published by Merlin Press. This book was released on 2010 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The story of the National Fire Service's origins in the devastation of the Blitz during the Second World War, commissioned by the Fire Brigades Union to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the start of the blitz"--Author's website, Feb. 27, 2012.

Download or read book The London Blitz written by Cyril Demarne and published by . This book was released on 1991 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Prior to September 1939, the author had been fighting fires in the East End of London for fourteen years. On the outbreak of war he became one of the nucleus of professional firement preparing men of the Auxiliary Fire Service for the maelstrom of the Blitz. This work presents the true story of ordinary men and women in extraordinary circumstances who, with fortitude and great courage, became very far from ordinary.

Download or read book Fire And Water written by H. S. Ingham and published by Jeremy Mills Pub. This book was released on 2005-12-01 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This anthology of 23 separate contributions written and illustrated by London firefighters during the 1940-1941 Blitz forms a unique record of one of the most fiery and dramatic periods of British History.

Download or read book Trailer Mounted Fire Fighting Pumps written by William Blunden and published by . This book was released on 2018-04-09 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From "The Blitz" in London, to the United Military and Civil Defense program in the United States, this book covers the little known firefighting units that were an integral part of fire fighting efforts during WWII. This book discusses the purpose, use, and construction of these two wheeled fire fighting vehicles and outlines how they were used to protect both Europe and the United States. TMFFP's also discusses the various manufacturers and their challenges with developing and building these units. There are a large number of historical photos, advertisements, and technical information on these units as well as modern photos of the very limited number of trailer pumps that survive today.

Download or read book Blitz written by Hetty Burlingame Beatty and published by Pickle Partners Publishing. This book was released on 2018-12-05 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Blitz was no ordinary horse. He had within him a quality of greatness which gave him the power to give his best—and more—whenever it was needed. Carefully trained and well cared for, he soon became the most talked about fire horse in Drumlin—fast and sure and first at almost every fire. Then a fearful accident injured both Blitz and his driver and the great fire horse days were over. Blitz was sold to a cruel master, and needed all of his courage and strength to live through the next few years. The story of how he is saved by the love and care of a boy, an do how he in turn is able to save a child’s life makes a dramatic and moving book in the old tradition. There are happy times and sad times, and a warmth in the telling that will satisfy anyone who loves a great horse story.

Download or read book The Fire Fighter written by Francis Cottam and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Set in WWII London, in the last months of 1940 when the Blitz and destruction and firebombing were at their worst and morale was at its lowest. Jack Finlay, is called back from the African front to manage the firefighting in a small but crucial area of the City of London. He has to look after five rather mysterious buildings. He soon finds himself a pawn in an intelligence game where the British are trying to feed false information to the Germans.

Download or read book Home front heroism written by Ellena Matthews and published by Manchester University Press. This book was released on 2024-06-11 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Home front heroism investigates how civilians were recognised and celebrated as heroic during the Second World War. Through a focus on London, this book explores how heroism was manufactured as civilians adopted roles in production, protection and defence, through the use of uniforms and medals, and through the way that civilians were injured and killed. This book makes a novel contribution to the study of heroism by exploring the spatial, material, corporeal and ritualistic dimensions of heroic representations. By tracing the different ways that home front heroism was cultivated on a national, local and personal level, this study promotes new ways of thinking about the meaning and value of heroism during periods of conflict. It will appeal to anyone interested in the social and cultural history of Second World War as well as the sociology and psychology of heroism.

Download or read book The Blitz and its Legacy written by Peter J. Larkham and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-12-05 with total page 434 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Triggered in part by contemporary experiences in the Balkans, the Middle East and elsewhere, there has been a rise in interest in the blitz and the subsequent reconstruction of cities, especially as many of the buildings and areas rebuilt after the Second World War are now facing demolition and reconstruction in their turn. Drawing together leading scholars and new researchers from across the fields of planning, history, architecture and geography, this volume presents an historical and cultural commentary on the immediate and longer-term impacts of wartime destruction. The book's contents in 14 chapters cover the spread of themes from experiencing the war to reconstruction and its experiences; and although many chapters draw upon the UK experience, there is deliberate inclusion of some material from mainland Europe and Japan to emphasise that the experiences, processes and products are not London-specific. A comparative book tracing destruction to reconstruction is a relative rarity, and yet of the utmost importance in possessing wider relevance to post-disaster reconstructions. The Blitz and Its Legacy is a fascinating volume which includes war experiences of destruction, architecture, urban design, the political process of planning and reconstruction, and also popular perceptions of rebuilding. Its findings provide very timely lessons which highlight the value of learning from historical precedent.

Download or read book The First Day of the Blitz written by Peter Stansky and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2007-01-01 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On September 7, 1940, the Blitz began. The bombing of London, by over one thousand planes on that night alone, was recognised at the time as being a direct measure to break the country's resistance. This book tells of the impact that this terror from the skies had on British people and the course of war.

Download or read book Firemen at War written by Neil Wallington and published by . This book was released on 1981 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Blitz written by William Sansom and published by . This book was released on 1990 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Fire Fighter written by Francis Cottam and published by Vintage Books USA. This book was released on 2002 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sebastian Faulks meets Robert Harris in a wonderfully evocative and thrilling first novel about a firefighter in London at the height of the Blitz. Autumn, 1940, and the Luftwaffe is firebombing London, a city rendered virtually defenceless by a legacy of appeasement and governmental incompetence. Jack Finlay, a young man already notorious for his capacity to fight fires, and men, is hauled reluctantly back from his artillery unit on the African front to mastermind the firefighting in a crucial area of the City, looking after five rather mysterious buildings in particular. Finlay's Liverpool past is murky but London needs him now. He finds himself a pawn in an Intelligence game, and in British Intelligence's attempt to feed false intelligence to the Germans at a crucial point in the war. He falls in love with a young woman who's the curator of one of the buildings which was built by her disgraced German architect father - she too is being manipulated and the crisis comes when she is caught in the burning building. With a cynical eye and a tender heart, this taut, well-written novel tracks a dangerous intelligence game, and spotlights the indiscriminate path of war and fire through ordinary lives.

Download or read book Hamden Firefighting written by David Gray Johnson and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2017 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Incorporated in 1786, the town of Hamden covers nearly 33 square miles immediately north of New Haven, Connecticut. Despite significant industrial growth in the early 19th century and several devastating fires, Hamden had no organized firefighting forces until its first volunteer fire company was organized in 1896. By 1925, the handful of independent volunteer fire companies that followed became the Hamden Fire Department. A predominantly volunteer force before World War II, the department grew to 55 career members by 1950 and to 124 by the mid-1980s. The ascendency of emergency medical services and, more recently, a concern for homeland security have greatly expanded the department's role in public safety. Although 1990s municipal austerity measures reduced department size by 20 percent, with a population today exceeding 60,000, fire department responses have increased to more than 10,000 calls annually, of which 74 percent are for EMS.

Download or read book The Blitz Companion written by Mark Clapson and published by University of Westminster Press. This book was released on 2019-04-02 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Blitz Companion offers a unique overview of a century of aerial warfare, its impact on cities and the people who lived in them. It tells the story of aerial warfare from the earliest bombing raids and in World War 1 through to the London Blitz and Allied bombings of Europe and Japan. These are compared with more recent American air campaigns over Cambodia and Vietnam in the 1960s and 1970s, the NATO bombings during the Balkan Wars of the 1990s, and subsequent bombings in the aftermath of 9/11. Beginning with the premonitions and predictions of air warfare and its terrible consequences, the book focuses on air raids precautions, evacuation and preparations for total war, and resilience, both of citizens and of cities. The legacies of air raids, from reconstruction to commemoration, are also discussed. While a key theme of the book is the futility of many air campaigns, care is taken to situate them in their historical context. The Blitz Companion also includes a guide to documentary and visual resources for students and general readers. Uniquely accessible, comparative and broad in scope this book draws key conclusions about civilian experience in the twentieth century and what these might mean for military engagement and civil reconstruction processes once conflicts have been resolved.