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BRIDGE FIRE BRIGADE

Bridge Fire Brigade appears to have been formed in 1873 because it held a 50"‘ anniversary
dinner on 28”‘ February 1923. The following is taken from Bridge as Portrayed in Historical
Times Prior to 1939, a manuscript held by the Local History Department of Canterbury
library.

Victorian Bridge acquired its own Fire Brigade, which was established around 1874. The fire engine
was presented to the village by the Conyngham family and operated with a reasonable degree of
efficiency. its services were demanded as early as 11 July 1874 when

“a barn at Bridge, in the occupation of Mr Huxstep, and the property of the Marquis of Conyngham,
was struck by lightning. Immediately it was discovered that the head of the barn was on fire, the
Bridge Fire Brigade was summoned. They arrived in ten minutes with their engine, under the
command of Mr Verrier and owing to their exertions the fire was quickly extinguished, very little
damage being done."

A more serious fire broke out two years later at the farm of Mr Collins, and was started when sparks
from an engine, working with a threshing machine, blew onto the roof of a large barn which contained
300 quarters of corn. The Bridge Fire Brigade and the Canterbury Volunteer Brigade, on realising that
they could not save the barn and its contents, directed their efforts to saving threatened farm buildings
nearby and, apart from the end of one range of one range of stabling, the fire was prevented from
spreading. The buildings belonged to the Marquis of Conyngham and had been insured for £1,000. Mr
Collins‘ personal loss was estimated at between £800 and £900, a large proportion of which he was
unlikely to recoup.

There were occasions when the fire brigade‘s presence was not required, as and when,

"a fire broke out on the premises of Mr J S Clayson, grocer. Mr Clayson had been in bed some time
when he found that a portion of his house was on fire. Ready assistance was given him by Mr
Harnden, builder, Messrs F Sutton and J H Verrier and Police Constable Goldsack, and by their
efforts the flames were prevented from spreading.

The cause of the fire was entirely an accident."

in order to improve this operational efficiency the Bridge Fire Brigade undertook drills, which tested
appliances so as to discover how far they could be relied upon in all sorts of emergencies. On one
occasion the object behind the drill was to concentrate on buildings which were situated some distance
away from sources of water supply.

"The result of the trial was very satisfactory. Within four minutes from the word being given the
engine was at work and a jet of water from a source 450 feet away was issuing from the pipe.
Several drills were gone through with double deliveries, showing that in case of need two fires could
be attacked at the same time. An attempt to reach the church was also fairly successful. The
members aftenivards dined together at the Red Lion |nn."

it has been said that the original fire station was at the Red Lion lnn, being relocated to the
rear of the Plough & Harrow in about 1904.

The summoning of the fire brigade by setting off a maroon was commonplace until the early
twentieth century and was a system still in use by Bridge Fire Brigade in 1910. On 315‘
March that year, a fire which destroyed four cottages broke out at Pett Bottom. The
Brigade's second engineer, Mr John Fenn, aged 29, of 6 Albert Terrace, was the first man to
arrive at the fire station after the alarm had been raised and, in the absence of a more
experienced man, assumed responsibility for firing the maroon. The usual two explosions
were heard but a few moments later other members of the brigade found Mr Fenn lying on
the ground unconscious "with the left side of his face completely fractured." No-one saw
what happened but it is thought that somehow the maroon exploded before Mr Fenn could
get clear and struck him in the face. He died of his injuries leaving a wife and two children.
He had been connected with the Brigade for seven years and by trade was an engineer and
cycle dealer [Fire & Water, May 1910, p.45].


Mr Fenn's funeral on 3”‘ April was a notable event in Bridge and was attended by 5,000
people including representatives of the "Kent" and the "County" fire brigades from
Canterbury, the Wingham and Herne Bay brigades, as well as the Bridge brigade. Honours
were conferred by the band and firing party of the East Kent Yeomanry.

According to Bridge as Portrayed in Historical Times Prior to 1939, in 1918 the equipment of
brigade comprised a Merryweather manual pump and 1,200ft of hose. The engine was
drawn by the same horses that were used for funerals and delivering coal, or pulled by men
using drag lines. The firemen, mostly local tradesmen, at one time included two grocers, the
cycle agent, a publican, the draper, two gardeners, the coal merchant and the blacksmith.
There were twelve sets of helmets, tunics and axes. If a tall man left the force to be replaced
by a short man, the latter would have to endure an ill-fitting uniform.

Count Louis Zborowski, owner of Higham Park, Bridge, demonstrated a continued
philanthropic interest in the affairs of the village when consulted about the local fire engine.
This engine, housed in Brewery Lane at the rear of the Plough & Harrow public house had
recently demonstrated its inadequacy and Count Zborowski agreed to consider how the
situation could be improved. in 1921(?) he donated a Roland-Pilain motor car (CE 1037)
[this is a Cambridgeshire number issued between Jan. 1904 and June 1922] and had this
converted to a fire tender. Sidney Maslin, one of the count's employees, worked on the
chassis and Blythe Brothers, coachbuilders of Canterbury, adapted the body to
accommodate 10 men and a mile of hose. The appliance, with a top speed of 60mph, is
believed to have been powered by a Mercedes-Benz engine developing 75hp. Real gold
leaf lettering was applied to the sides of the vehicle, which towed a 2-wheeled manual pump,
but it was another 15 years before Bridge Fire Brigade owned any ladders.

William Martin, Count Zborowski's mechanic, was appointed driver of the new tender with his
son, Len Martin, as deputy driver. Arthur Easton was appointed assistant. Maintenance of
the fire tender was assisted by contributions from insurance companies although in 1902 it is
documented that the Rural Council increased its annual contribution to the brigade from £16
to £20. It is said that the Brigade would resent the presence at small tires of the Canterbury
and Sturry brigades, who would be soaked on arrival.

On one occasion in haste to return it to its shed behind the public house, the Roland-Pilain
was reversed into No. 1 Brewery Lane and the damage to the wall of that cottage can still be
seen today. The tender was often seen on Friday evenings in the Brewery Lane meadow,
when the crew would undertake drill, and was sometimes pressed into service to water the
cricket pitch.

Bridge Fire Brigade held a 50"‘ anniversary dinner on 28'“ February 1923. The event was
chaired by Mr C. Wills, (?)assisted by Mr Mason and Mr Wass. Mr Wills, then captain of the
brigade, said he had been a member of the brigade for 47 years. He was also a
churchwarden and secretary of the gas company. In July 1923 the brigade's anniversary
celebrations were further marked by a fete held at the rear of the Plough & Harrow.

Count Zborowski, a car and motor racing enthusiast, was killed at the age of 29 while racing
in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in 1924. Higham Park was bought from his estate by
Walter Whigham in 1928 and, in turn, he donated a 1911 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost fire
tender (LS 164) [this is a Selkirkshire number issued between Dec. 1903 and March 1964] to
the village some time after that. Photographs exist of this appliance towing what appears to
be a Merryweather Hatfield trailer pump.

Chief Officer Charles Wills retired from the Brigade in April 1931 at the age of 83, with 55
years‘ service to his credit [Fire, June 1931, p13]. He bought his uniform, which he wore for
53 years, in about 1885.


The Rolls-Royce was used at the funeral of former fireman, John Friend, on 16”‘ April 1936
and was present at the Carnival Queen event in 1937. A Bedford tender (JG 8598), which
also towed a Merryweather Hatfield trailer pump, succeeded the Rolls-Royce and this was in
evidence at the 1935 Jubilee celebrations, suggesting that both appliances were in service
simultaneously during the mid-1930s. [JG 8598 is a Canterbury number which should have
been issued in 1936.] The Bridge brigade featured in a Merryweather & Sons Ltd catalogue
of Hatfield trailer pumps published in May 1935 when Brigade Secretary, J. Friend,
announced that the pump had behaved excellently at each fire to which it had been turned
out.

in April 1934 the brigade attended a fire at Downs Farm, Barham occupied by Mrs G. Evans,
the Burmese wife of a British medical practitioner stationed in Malta. The estimated direct
loss from the fire was £6,000 and incendiarism was suspected [Fire, June 1934, p.17].

The first statutory duty of local authorities to provide fire protection came with the Fire
Brigades Act 1938 when responsibility for the Bridge brigade would have passed to Bridge
Blean Rural District Council. As a result of World War Two, the fire sewice was nationalised
on 18"‘ August 1941 and a photograph exists of the Bridge crew with an Austin K2 auxiliary
towing vehicle and trailer pump in the grey livery of the National Fire Service. The fire station
remained at the Plough & Harrow and was one of 79 taken over by Kent Fire Brigade when
the service was denationalised and returned to local authority control on 15‘ April 1948. The
appliance then stationed at Bridge, and crewed by part-time retained men, was a Fordson
water tender fitted with a Tangye pump (GXM 255) originally built in 1943 as a heavy
pumping unit for the National Fire Service. The fire station was closed in 1956 and Bridge
today is afforded fire cover from the whole—time station in Canterbury

To this day the stable at the rear of the Plough & Harrow bears the names "Baby" and
"Queenie" painted on the inside wall. These are believed to be the horses used to draw the
village fire engine before the Roland-Pilain was donated.

Roger C. Mardon, Bridge, Canterbury, 22.2.99 (rev 6.9.2000)

Sources: Amanda Harris-Deans & Patricia Gibb, Higham Park, Bridge
Kent Fire Brigade Museum
Chris Maclean, Plough & Harrow, Bridge
Bernard Price, Bridge
Bridge millennium exhibition, Sept. 2000


BRIDGE FIRE BRIGADE CREWS

The crew shown on the horsed manual pump in a photograph of 1899 are
Edwards Page Banks Arter
Carpenter Gilbert Foord Friend

Officers - Crouch Lieut. Wills Capt. Chapman

Source: Kentish Gazette, 10 Feb 1961/Local History Dept, Canterbury Library

Members of the Brigade, who may be the same as those mentioned above, have included William
Ford of Park Villas, Bill Foord, carpenter (the same?), Tom Crouch, plumber, Frank Gilbert of the
forge, Bert Edwards, butcher, George Small, gardener, ‘Dicky’ Friend, coal merchant, whose
business was later taken over by Cllr. Albert Taylor.

In 1910 the captain of the Brigade was a Capt. Guy Gamble of Lynton House.

Source: Kentish GazetteILocal History Dept, Canterbury Library

The crew shown on the Roland-Pilain tender in Brewery Lane in a photograph of 1920 are
Alfred Vinton Fred Hogben William Ovenden Bert Jones Frank Down Harvey Price Albert Taylor
Driver - Herbert Price Officer - Jack Friend

The man with the horse and can in the background is Les Cowell.

Source: Kent Fire Brigade Museum

The crew shown on the Roland-Pilain tender outside the Brewery Lane fire station in a photograph of
1926-28 are

Fred Hogben Albert Taylor Jack Friend Sidney Gilbert
harness maker coal merchant ex-pub landlord forge owner
Frank Down Len Honey William Ovenden Albert Jones
cycle shop owner plumber head gardener dairy owner
Driver - William Martin Officer - Charles Wills
mechanic to Count Zoborowski retired baker

Source: Bridge millennium exhibition, Sept 2000

The crew shown on the Rolls—Royce tender outside Bridge Place in a 1930-31 photograph are

B Jones F Hogben F Downs A Vinten

milkman sadler cycle shop Bridge Blean RDC

8 Gilbert A Taylor H Price

blacksmith candlemaker grocer Plough landlord
H T Price, Engineer C Wills, Chief Engineer J Friend, Engineer
haulage contractor, retired retired publican, Red Lion
C & G Yeoman .

Source: Bridge millennium exhibition, Sept 2000


The Auxiliary Fire Service crew in a group photograph are

Hawkins Arthur Hawkins 7? Patterson Cyril Cricket
Jimmy Fenn Charlie Clements Harvey Price Leonard Reynolds Alf Minter (?Vinten)
The officer-in-charge at this time was Sid Gilbert and the driver was Harvey Price.

Source: Bernard Price, Bridge


Tree \5zitc.rt«\.C~

One organisation of vital importance was the Bridge Volunteer Fire Brigade, whose
equipment in 1915 included a Merry-VVeather manual engine and about 1,200 feet of
hose. The Fire engine was horse-drawn being pulled by the same horses as were used for
funerals and for delivering coal. The firemen were mostly local tradesmen and at one time
included two grocers, the cycle agent, a publican, the draper, two gardeners, the coal
merchant and the blacksmith. The men were summoned by a maroon flare, and one was
killed in 1926 when looking over the flare, supposing it to have gone out. There were
twelve sets of helmets, tunics and axes, and if a tall man left the force to be replaced by a
short man, the latter had to endure an ill-fitting uniform. The force entered the motorised
age when Count Zborowski donated a motor appliance, registration number CE i037. It
was kept running largely through the donations from insurance companies, whose
outgoings would have soared but for the Volunteer Brigade’s existence and devotion to
duty. The Brigade would resent the presence at small fires of the Canterbury or Sturry
Brigades, who would be soaked on arrival. The Bridge Brigade had no ladders until shortly
before the last war, while early hoses were made of leather and thick rubber. The Fire
Brigade remained independent up until the Second World War.

Author: Crispin VN/ilding - UKC Group Research Project 1976

Bridge fire Brigade: engine house, Plough 81 Harrow P.H.; consists of a motor engine £1
trailer 8:. about l,2OO feet of hose; Charles Eills, lt. & sec; number of men 10.

Kelly’s

An interesting interlude whilst the Count was at Higham concerns the local fire brigade. In
1920 its chief had complained that their horse—drawn appliance could not reach fires in
outlying districts in time to be effective. The Count, hearing of this, presented them with a car
along the lines of the Chittys. Blythe Bros. adapted the body to accomodate 10 men and a
mile of hose. \/Vith a rating of 73 h.p. and a speed of 60 m.p.h. this was probably the fastest
of its kind in the country at that time. For his generosity the Count was made Honorary
Captain of the Brigade.

The Fire Maroon Tragedy at Bridge

One of the most momentous events in Edwardian Bridge, at least, to judge from the coverage
it received in The Kentish Gazette, was the early death of young Mr Iohn Fenn, of 6 Albert
Terrace, second engineer of the Bridge Fire Brigade, on 31st March 1910.

It appears from the inquest that a fire had broken out at Pett Bottom. It was the job of Mr
Fenn Iunior to light the maroon to call together the Fire Brigade. On the fatal afternoon at
about 12.30 he left the 'Plough and Harrow’ and asked his brother for a match. This, his
brother provided and then went off ‘round the corner’. Almost immediately there were two
simultaneous explosions and Mr Fenn"s cap was seen by a witness to 'go right up in the air'.
The witness hurried to the scene and found Mr Fenn lying outside on a pile of straw. Details
of his injuries are graphic: "profuse harnorrhage (Kentish Gazette's spelling), left eye
completely gone...." Mr Fenn lived for only twenty minutes after the explosion.

It emerged during the inquest that second engineer Fenn had not fired a maroon before, and
that instead of lying down to fire it, he had stood over it and hence received the fatal blow to
the face. There seems to be some uncertainty as to whether the maroons were faulty, and in
order to satisfy himself on this issue, a representative of Messrs Brocks "took train to Bridge"
and inspected the scene of the accident. He subsequently declared that the rnaroons were of

Fire Brigadedoc 38 J311u31'.V 1999


the best quality, similar to those fired at Crystal Palace since l865, and asked permission to
fire the remaining five. He later contended that the maroons were not defect ive, thus clearing
the name and reputation of Brooks.

Mr Fenns funeral was a stirring occasion. According to the Gazette: " Never before had the
village of Bridge felt a disaster so keenly... April 3rd will stand out in the history of the village
as a day never to be forgotten..."

3000 eo ule thron ed the narrow street, overflowint into the surroundin fields. Most of the
P P 8 E» 8
gentry were present at the graveside, though the Conynghams were not mentioned.
presumably because they worshipped at Patrixbourne. The dead man was given a military
funeral with a firing party from the East Kent Yeomanry. The coffin was borne by six foremen
and followed by 63 members of other Fire Brigades. "It was a mournful procession indeed as it
wended its way up the hillside and... there were but few dry eyes...." The grave had been

re ared under the shadow of some tall trees borderin the road and "svm athetic hands had
P . P
lined it “ith primroses and ivy.

At evensong after the funeral the Rector of Bridge Rev. H Knight referring to the tragic death
of Mr Fenn said that God took us out of this world for two reasons. Either we were well ready
for entry to the heavenly Kingdom or else we were so hardened‘ that it would be futile to give
us any more chances. It was dear that the former case applied to Mr Penn and that the finger
of God had singled him out to lay down his life for his friends. It is to be hoped that such
fatalism afforded some comfort to his relatives and young widow.

Fire Brigade.doc 28 J311u111'.V 1999