Fire Engines - Great Britain: Books - History

Classic Post-war British Fire Engines

In 1973 there were approximately 150 Fire Brigades protecting the United Kingdom - all with their own ideas on how to design and specify fire engines. However, local government reorganisation the following year was about to change that.

This book is a unique photographic record by distinguished fire engine photographers John Toomey, who came especially from New York, and Andrew Henry. It documents the amazing diversity of British post-war fire engines. Captions and an expert commentary are provided by the highly respected Fire Brigade author and historian Ron Henderson.

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British Steam Fire Engines

This is the fascinating story of the development of early British steam fire engines by a renowned expert on emergency services vehicles and equipment. Ronald Henderson, a member of the Fire Brigade Society and an expert on steam engines, covers the history of the early inventions that coupled steam with fire pumps.

This includes the concepts created by firms such as Braithwaite & Ericsson and their steam fire pump and also further inventions by Merryweather & Sons and Shand, Mason & Co., including hand-drawn and horse-drawn fire engines.

This book will appeal to all steam enthusiasts and to those who are interested in early industrial technology. It provides a fascinating insight into the way that steam was harnessed to improve the efficiency of firefighting services and how that led to the modern fire engines of today.

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Fire-fighting Vehicles in Preservation

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This book traces the history of preserved fire-fighting vehicles, a group of commercial vehicles that often attracts exceptional public interest. Vintage fire engines remain a highlight at rally events, where crews in period uniforms and polished brass helmets present the vehicles in action. Demonstrations may include extending a turntable ladder or unrolling hose reels, although modern safety rules usually prevent live fire displays.

Fire brigades were formed in the nineteenth century, at the same time that motorised road transport began to develop. Their story can therefore be followed through the surviving fire-fighting vehicles shown in this volume. In Britain, these vehicles were traditionally built by British manufacturers, but the book also includes European and American examples that visited or were preserved in the country.

The author, Malcolm Batten, presents this history through a wide selection of previously unpublished photographs and clear explanatory captions.

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HCB-Angus Fire Engines - A Pictorial Record

HCB-Angus produced some 6,500 fire engines in their factory at Totton, Southampton, for fire services all around the world, and for many UK Brigades.

The author presents a pictorial record, in chronological order, of some of the more significant designs, each with an informative caption. All types of appliance are shown, from UK domestic to refinery, military, and aviation, and from Land Rover to massive Thornycroft Nubian - they made them all.

Needless to say, only a fraction of the total production is illustrated, but this book contains a good representative sample. The author has had exclusive access to the company's archive of photographs, as well as technical papers and brochures preserved by the company and now in his custody, to produce this photographic account.

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