Page 54 - Archived Back Issues

4th December 1927 – 18th April 2009
Remembering Ron Miller From Colin Livett, Past Master
Ron Miller was a Freeman of the Company and a Freeman of the City of London.
Enter into almost any building in the UK and its Fire Prevention Protection would have been based upon the principles established by Ron Miller. Ron was a quite man, well read and a staunch believer in education. He headed the London Fire Brigade Operations, Technical and Fire Prevention Departments.
It was in Fire Prevention that Ron excelled. He represented both the London Fire Bri- gade and the British Fire Service on Home Office and National Committees. Much of the National Regulations were formulated from Ron’s recommendations. We will never know how many lives may have been lost in fire if not for his work. He had a photographic recall for detail and a first class personal historical administrative ar- chive. Ron was particularly proud of his involvement with the Widows and Orphans Fund.
Chief Staff Officer Ronald J H Miller QFSM. Third Officer London Fire Brigade.
Ron served in the Royal Navy receiving an award for his actions during hazardous mine sweeping operations. He was a tal- ented sportsman and trained with Charlton Athletic Football Club and played rugby for both Charlton Park Rugby Club and the London Fire Brigade. He captained Cambridge Harriers and won the Kent County Championships.
Ron was a man of principle and I learned much from his example, in particular the principles upon which to try to live my life. You know when you have real principles when it costs you money, pain or opportunity to stand by them. I was Ron’s personal Staff Officer for four years and it was my privilege to have known him and an honour to have served him.
Ron leaves his wife Sue, five children and five grandchildren.
St Florian –Patron Saint of Firefighters
In several countries, St Florian is considered to be the Patron Saint of firefighting. He is usually depicted as a Roman soldier pouring water from a jug over a burning house.
St Florian’s reputation arose from his refusal to persecute Christians and his consequent condemna- tion to death by fire by the Roman Emperor Diocletian and his ‘enforcer’ Aguilinus, in the late 3rd century AD. As St Florian was about to burn, he challenged the Roman soldiers to light the fire under him, prophesying, “If you do, I shall climb to Heaven on the flames”. Instead he was
Fire and flames are in our house Only Florian and Firefighters souse The flames and when they’re out Florian and Firefighters are forgot Without a doubt put to rout
Did you know?..........
The Insurance Hall has a small museum mainly concerned with the history of fire fighting and has a
unique collection of Fire Marks.
After the Great Fire in 1666 that devastated one third of London it was realised that there was a need for Insurance as a provision of compensation. As few streets were named and buildings not numbered, some form of identification was necessary, and the birth of the fire mark came about. The first exam- ples were made of lead, and some hundred years later followed by copper, tinned iron, zinc, brass and ceramic. They bore the logo of the insurance company, in many cases in the form of the county’s coat of arms. Greek mythology played an important part in many designs, typically that of The Fire Office’s emblem.
The emblems that were attached to buildings by the insurance company’s employee were called Fire Marks; to mark the build- ing indicating that they insured it and/or the contents, for fire risks. This practice carried on for two hundred and fifty years.
There were approximately two hundred insurance companies that issued over nine hundred fire marks, some only one and oth- ers as many as forty-odd different variants.