Chief Fire Officer Alfred Leyland

Alfred was born in Prior’s Lee, Salop in Shropshire in about 1910, to Alfred & Annie Leyland. He had an older brother & sister, Arthur and Winifred as well as one sister, Audrey, who was less than a year younger than him.

Most of the following information has been gathered from newspaper cuttings preserved in scrap books by the Middlesbrough Fire Brigade of the time.

We know nothing about Alfred’s early life, but in 1931, when he was 21 years old, he joined Manchester Fire Brigade. Seven years later he was Deputy Chief in Stockton-on-Tees Fire and Ambulance Brigade.

He appears to have been quite ambitious as in 1941, only 10 years after he began his career in the Fire service, he became Officer in Charge of the Western Division in Newcastle and a year later, 1942, was responsible for the whole of the Newcastle area.

In 1945 he moved to Middlesbrough, where he would remain for the next 18years. At this time his post was Sub-District Commander.

Three years later in 1948 he became Middlesbrough’s Chief Fire Officer a post he would keep for approximately 16 years.

On July 12th 1951 Middlesbrough Fire Brigade officially opened an extension to their Workshops building.

In November 1955 Alfred was presented with the Queens Medal for long service and good conduct. A picture and article, shown here, were in the Evening Gazette of the time.

A month long Exhibition, to mark the centenary of Middlesbrough Fire Service was opened 2nd September 1955. Alfred was very much hands on with every part of this successful exhibition and even organised a huge painting of Middlesbrough, displaying futuristic imaginary of skyscrapers with fire fighting techniques showing rescues using helicopters and wide television screens.

Only a year later, 14th February 1956, the queen mother presented Alfred with an OBE. Here is a lovely photograph taken the next day, of Alfred showing his O.B.E. to his proud wife and two daughters, in the Northern Echo.

I did find an interesting little snippet in an article written in January 1956 which told of how the Chief Fire Officer had been complaining of his house, 113 Park Road South, being extremely cold and impossible to heat and as a result was affecting both his family’s health as well as his own. He requested the Fire Brigade Committee look into this and asked them to include a further £250 in the 1955/56 estimates to heat the house.

In October 1959, Leyland was appointed President of the Chief Fire Officers Association – a position he took very seriously, remarking that his post required he ‘demonstrate in a manner beyond reproach the sense of responsibility, loyalty enabling a Chief Officer to serve his council and community.’

In 1963, a year before Alfred should have retired and at the age of 54, he accepted a post to join a 12 man team within the Fire Department of the Home Office in London as Assistant Inspector. His resignation was accepted and he handed over his post to the new Chief Fire Officer, Mr Harry Johnson, leaving at the end of July to begin his new position.

Alfred died aged 69 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire in December 1978, after a long and successful career working in fire prevention.

“The Great Fire”

Guest post written and researched by Museum of Hartlepool volunteer David Nicholson

the Great Timber Yard Fire in Hartlepool, 1922. Stacks of railway sleepers ablaze.

Much has been written about the Hartlepool Timber Yard Fire (Wednesday 4^th January 1922), which affected many of the residents living in the Cleveland Road and Union Street area of Hartlepool, it’s fair to say this event has changed much of the landscape and development of this part of the town.

The fire began around 1pm on 4th January 1922. The alarm was raised by a boy who turned up at a shack to warn the workmen who were having their dinner. The source of the fire was unknown; however it was thought that it began in the timber storage ground of Geo Horsley & Co. A spark from one of the locomotives shunting in the area or some rotted fusing in one of the yards electricity cables was thought to be the likely cause. The fire consumed hundreds of stacks of wood in the yard.

Photograph of the Great Timber Yard Fire in Hartlepool, 1922. Shows firefighters battling the blaze, while piles of smouldering pit props lie littered beside them. Firefighters from around 5 different brigades were scrambed from across the North East to help fight the Inferno. These included the NER, Hartlepool, West Hartlepool, Stockton, Middlesbrough and Gateshead fire services.

The West Hartlepool Fire brigade was first on the scene shortly after one o’clock, headed by Superintendent Allan along with six firemen. Later the Stockton Fire brigade arrived on the scene and both teams prevented the fire affecting the nearby creosote works. Before 5pm fires were breaking out on the other side of Hartlepool Road which were not helped by strong gale force winds which meant the flames soon became unmanageable, the area covering over eight to nine acres. The flames were threatening properties so many residents had to be evacuated. Despite the best efforts of the fire-fighters most of their belongings became lost or separated in the rush to clear the area before they were destroyed altogether. Many pieces of furniture saved from the fire were stored in local schools.  The town’s Mayor set up a disaster relief fund to help people who were left virtually destitute as a result of the blaze. The King and Queen contributed £150 to the fund. The eventual total amounted to £11,447. The disaster was reputed to have caused about one million pounds worth of damage and left over 80 people homeless.

Image showing residents carrying furniture away from areas threatened by the Great Timber Yard Fire in Hartlepool, 1922. The man in the centre is carrying a chair on his head.

Long after midnight great crowds in Cleveland and Middleton Roads and at every vantage point watched the devastating course of the fire. The “ordinary” traffic of the town was added to by numerous motor cars, motor cycles and people on push bikes from all areas of the town. Much concern was felt for the homeless, but many found accommodation with friends in houses well removed from the area devastated by the fire. The fire was eventually brought under control by 4am.

Collecting for the victims of the ‘Great Fire’, 1922

A lot of lessons were learned as a result of the disaster with local precautions set up to prevent further incidents.

Photograph taken in the aftermath of the ‘Great Fire’ in Hartlepool, 1922. As locals survey the damage, children can be seen playing on the lamp posts which have collapsed under the intense heat of the blaze which, in places, is still smouldering.

Please let us know in the comments if any of your family were caught up in the fire or its aftermath.

Images copyright to the Museum of Hartlepool and can be found on our Flickr page.

Superintendent Richard Merryweather

Names and addresses of Hartlepool fire fighters, including Superintendent Richard Merryweather and his second son James. The poster shows that at the time there were no fire alarms, instead the Fire Brigade relied on the public calling on each of the fire fighters at home. A financial incentive was provided to encourage the public to raise the alarm. (Robert Wood Collection, Museum of Hartlepool)

In the 1830’s the Borough of Hartlepool paid a premium to the West of England Fire and Life Insurance Company. In exchange they provided fire insurance and a manual fire appliance overseen by a volunteer Fire Brigade. For many years this Brigade was Superintended by Mr Richard Merryweather.

Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette – Saturday 19 August 1876

Merryweather was originally from Yorkshire. His father William was brother to Moses Merryweather, who at the age of 14 was apprenticed to a fire appliance manufacturer in London called, Hadley, Simpkin and Lott. Eventually the firm transferred to Mr Lott whose niece Mr Merryweather later married. Moses went on to inherit the firm and worked hard to make it one of the most respected and sought-after fire engine manufacturers in the World.

One man who gave much attention to the means of extinguishing fires during the early 1800s was the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos. In 1820 one of the Duke’s country estates was completely destroyed by fire, the experience lead him to take an interest in the work of the Merryweather firm, and also to become great friends with the Merryweather family. The Duke had a curiosity for mechanics and was frequently seen ‘volunteering’ in the works at Long Acre – either in the fitting shop or the smithy. The Duke also had the best private Fire Brigade outside London at his residence, Stowe House in Buckinghamshire. In 1839, the palace was said to have eight fire engines, four of a smaller type situated on each floor of the building, and four larger engines stationed around the mansion. He built four elevated reservoirs within the palace that had suitable attachments for all engines and also had Merryweather make a powerful carriage engine. The Duke handpicked 24 men from his team of staff to form a Brigade. They were smartly outfitted and armed in the London Brigade fashion and were under the charge of an engineer from London.

It is thought that Richard Merryweather was that London engineer. It is known that Richard spent some time working for his uncle at Long Acre in his early twenties. He was trained to use and maintain fire fighting appliances and it seems, was trusted to publicly test them for potential clients.

Derby Mercury – Wednesday 08 February 1837

In volume 38 of Mechanics Magazine and Journal of Science, Arts and Manufactures, it states that ‘upon the occasion of a recent incendiary fire at Tingewich, three miles from Buckingham, the efficient exertions of Mr. Richard Merryweather (Superintendent of the Stowe-fire engines) and his men were beyond praise’.

It was while Richard Merryweather was at Stowe that he met and married the Duke’s maid Elizabeth Mould, who was originally from Easton in Hampshire. Sometime after 1847 the couple moved to Hartlepool.  It is assumed that Richard left employment at Stowe House because that year the Duke was declared bankrupt. His debts totalled over a million pound and so he was forced to sell the contents of Stowe House – including his fire appliances. Richards father William had moved to Hartlepool some time earlier to start a ship-owning business and so he took his wife and three young children to start a new life.

Richard and Elizabeth Merryweather went on to have six children altogether, with one boy, Henry, dying in infancy. The family lived on the Headland, close to St Hilda’s, and played an active role in the community and church. Richard set up a business as an auctioneer selling homes and their contents’. As well as his duties as the Superintendent of the Fire Brigade, from which he retired due to ill health in 1879, Richard also acted as as High Bailiff of the County Court and Councillor for the Borough. He was also one of the original 39 men made Freemen during the passing of the Freeman’s Land and Harbour Dues Act in 1851, and was also one of last surviving men from this group, dying in 1891 aged 77.

York Herald – Tuesday 06 October 1891

Images copyright to the Museum of Hartlepool and the British Newspaper Archive

Fire on the Tracks

Natural hazards such as fire have plagued the railways since their early beginnings. Fire in the days of steam was especially concerning for railway companies. Engine sheds in particular were prone to fires due to sparks, red hot ashes, oil and naked flames. Many sheds were damaged by fire – often with engines inside. This could cost railway companies thousands and affect services.

The North Eastern Railway (NER), like many other companies, had its own fire brigade stationed at centers such as Hull, York, Darlington and Newcastle etc. For many years they were presented with horse drawn steam fire engines which could be loaded onto railway wagons and taken to where they were needed.

The below engine was made by Merryweather and Sons Ltd. – the most famous fire engine manufacturer, based in Holloway, London. It was known as NER No. 1 and carried the company’s coat of arms below the seats for the crew. It was stationed at Darlington, North Road Station.

The Brigade was manned by volunteer staff, usually drawn from the company’s engineers department. Although formed to fight fires on company property, the Brigade also fought fires at properties close to or threatening NER buildings or business. The Brigade could only assist other brigades when a request had been submitted in writing.

The belowbBrigade was based at Darlington North Road Station. The gentleman in the top center of the photograph was the grandfather of the person who donated the original image to the Head of Steam, Darlington Railway Museum. The Brigade consisted of 14 men, well outfitted with uniform, brass helmets and axes.

One of the most destructive fires dealt with by the North Eastern Railway Fire Brigades, took place at the Electric Car Sheds in Heaton, Newcastle. On the 11th of August 1918 the building, which housed vehicles used on the North Tyneside electrified system, was found to be on fire. It was not extinguished until 34 cars had been destroyed and many others damaged by heat and smoke. In the following years all the lost coaches were replaced by new vehicles carrying the same numbers. The below image shows one of the destroyed coaches.

Images copyright, Head of Steam Darlington Railway Musem

Bibliography:

Hoole, K. “The North East Railway Book” 1979.

Hoole, K. “Trains in Trouble” Volume Four, 1993.

Preston Park Fire Engine Rally – 2015

Last Saturday Safe and Sound attended the Preston Park Fire Engine Rally in Stockton on Tees.

The rally has been going since 1981. It is organised by both serving and retired members of the local Fire & Rescue Services and is coordinated by Stockton Borough Council Events Team. Over the years many thousands of pounds have been raised for the Fire-fighters Charity and other emergency related charities.

Safe and Sound decided to take along a manually operated fire pump which has been on permanent loan to the Dorman Museum, by the Cleveland Fire Brigade since 1974.

The pump we believe, dates back to the mid-19th Century. It was made by Shand Mason – England’s second largest producer of fire apparatus in the 19th Century. This particular design dates back to around 1820, when James Braidwood, Fire Chief of Edinburgh and later London, introduced a tub lined with copper that contained a compact two cylinder pump and air chamber. On top of the tub was a bin that contained hose and accessories. Braidwood’s were built in a range of sizes, the larger versions were pulled by horses. This one could pump around 60 gallons per minute and required around six men to operate it.

Our pump turned out to be the oldest manual fire pump at the rally, a real high point for us! That being said, it was not the oldest piece of fire fighting equipment there. collector, Nigel Gough, a collector and preservationist beat us to it, bringing along a fantastic syringe pump made around 1540!

Alongside the pump we also took a selection of objects from our partner venues that illustrated the history of fire fighting in the Tees Valley. This included an elaborately decorated leather fire bucket from the 1820s,  a collection of fire marks, a Victorian fire extinguisher, a 1970s hose and a collection of helmets from the Cleveland County Fire Brigade which we let children try on.

One object which caused a particular stir among the fire fighters and preservationists was this brass nozzle. It had been donated to the Dorman Museum along with a collection of fire hose nozzles – so we naturally thought this too had been used to extinguish fires! Many of the exhibitors had never seen such an example before. At first they thought the holes underneath created a fire curtain which shielded the firefighter, then they thought it might have been used to extinguish fires in the hull of a boat. Finally it was agreed that this in fact was not a piece of fire fighting equipment, but was instaed a self propelling nozzle used to unblock drains!

Below are a selection of photographs taken at the event. For more photographs like these, follow Safe and Sound Tees Valley on Instagram

This unusual livery of maroon and red belonged to the Newcastle City Fire Brigade. This engine was brought to Newcastle in 1937 and was based on Pilgrim Street. In 1967 It was purchased by a Yorkshireman who used it to transport his local rugby team to their matches.

The National Fire Service (NFS) was a single fire service created in Great Britain in 1941 during the Second World War. It amalgamated wartime national Auxiliary Fire Service (AFS) and local authority fire brigades, and existed until 1948 when services reverted back to local authority control. This Dennis engine belonged to the North Eastern Fire Brigade

This 1944 Merryweather engine was the only steam powered fire pump at the Rally.

Protective steel or brass helmets were commonly worn by firemen from the 1860s until the 1930s when increasing danger of electrocution from electrical wires in fire-damaged buildings forced a change to the use of non-conductive materials

All images copyright to the Dorman Museum, Middlesbrough

West Hartlepool Fire Brigade

For many years West Hartlepool was serviced by a manual fire appliance and a voluntary Brigade, Superintended by Mr Mothersdale. In 1887, the year the Municipal Borough of West Hartlepool was created, a new permanent Brigade was formed in order to cope with the rising demands of an expanding industrial town. The Brigade was made up of retained and permanent Firemen and was Captained by Mr Scott. The engine photographed was the towns first petrol engine. It is photographed  outside the Barnard Street Fire Station. It was built in Lancashire by Leyland and came to Hartlepool in the 1920s. In 1910 Leyland produced their first engine for the Dublin Fire Brigade.The 85hp six cylinder petrol engine proved such a success that by the 1920s they were already a major fire engine manufacturer – competing against the likes of Dennis and Merryweather.