Wartime fire engine Colours

[Noel]

From another forum, I was made aware of some wartime colour film including a review of civil defence workers by Winston Churchill in July 1941 - there is a short view of two fire engines which are coloured red and khaki. Never heard of this before, have I missed something? any comments?can anyone identify the vehicles?

 

Link to the film - http://www.westendatwar.org.uk/page_id__135_path__0p27p.aspx relevant part is at 1:54

 

Noel

 

p.s. not many vehicle shots but some other interesting stuff - take a look around

[Richard Farrant]

From another forum, I was made aware of some wartime colour film including a review of civil defence workers by Winston Churchill in July 1941 - there is a short view of two fire engines which are coloured red and khaki. Never heard of this before, have I missed something? any comments?can anyone identify the vehicles?

 

 

 

Noel,

They look like they are both Dennis vehicles. I think the other colour is in fact grey. There was a Leyland belonging to the Kent brigade that used to come to local shows, it was used during the war and that one was red with a grey bonnet.

[schliesser92]

Noel,

They look like they are both Dennis vehicles. I think the other colour is in fact grey. There was a Leyland belonging to the Kent brigade that used to come to local shows, it was used during the war and that one was red with a grey bonnet.

 

Generally, new and modified vehicles (ie ATVs etc) for the NFS and AFS were delivered in grey. Existing vehicles were left in their original red.

 

Military appliances have been seen in a variety of colours - red, khaki and blue .

[ted angus]

Yes that about sums it up; The WW2 period colours are well documented in TNA Kew and other sources. All appliances supplied from 1938 for the AFS from the HMG emergency fire organisation programe were to BS 32 dark ad grey. This included items to the Armed forces for ARP use. Indeed the trailer pumps at RAF Scampton were still grey very late in the war. At the outbreak of hostilities place names were painted out and some brigades took tone down measures; london was one such brigade and both appliances in the film are LFB. Generally the trend seemed to be if an appliances required a repaint it often went to grey. HO NFS Memo 48 of 1945 dated oct 45 authorised certain appliances earmarked for the peacetime organisation to repainted to red, in 1946 gloss deep bronze green was authorised in lieu of grey for support appliances.

CD vehicles were initially in what ever colour they were when impressed by the local authorities; many quickly adopted grey. Subsequent CD vehicles purchased by HMG were in grey but this was later replaced by SCC2 ( with 50% varnish. ), Subsequently aftyer hostilities, CD vehicles earmarked for long term retention also went to Deep Bronze Green.

RAf & Army fire tenders followed the relevant instructions on Camo finish once war commenced, certainly all the Armies gleaming Leyland pump escapes were very soon in camo. with the RAF not far behind.

TED

[Brooky]

I remember in the yard at Molesworth there were several wartime AFS appliances (7Vs)mainly and they were painted silver

[ted angus]

I remember in the yard at Molesworth there were several wartime AFS appliances (7Vs)mainly and they were painted silver

 

Yes in 1967 there were a lot of silvery 7Vs and Austin ATVs near Bawtry at a dealers possibly this was Jacksons ??/ I used to pass the place going from Scampton to Finningly once a month on task. . from my research it is now apparent that this was a primer, when the ex WW2 stock was refurbished for long term retention it went into primer. I have noted in the Minute Books of several local authorities circa 1949-54 notes that brigades borrowing depot stock for AFS training could paint appliances into brigade colours - but not apply brigade names- and the notes detail how much cash will be granted to the brigade for materials and labour.

From lads who bought GGs from withams I have also now established the the vast majority of 4x4 goddesses were in primer until the mid 1960s; Most of them came with extremely comprehensive paper records .

 

TED

[Brooky]

Ted

Thanks for that

A mate of mine bought one (A heavy unit minus pump) an early 7V with the 4 cylinder engine and it was in sliver

I remember steering it back to his place near Huntingdon one Saturday morning behind his Land Rover...............Happy days

I wonder what happened to it