Page 73 - Archived Back Issues

Celebrating and Remembering our Firefighters
Former fireman revisits his old station for his 100th birthday
Charlie Harwood, who served as a firefighter in Tooting during World War Two, recently vis- ited Tooting Fire Station to celebrate his 100th birthday with firefighters from the station’s green watch. Charlie was presented with a commemorative firefighter’s axe by green watch’s youngest firefighter, Mark Whittall, whilst excerpts from his war-time memoires were read out. Also present in the picture is Station Manager John Day.
Charlie was born in Vauxhall and spent his early life in Balham. He enlisted with the Auxiliary Fire Service in 1939. ”I went home from work, had my tea, said goodbye to my wife and re- ported to Tooting Fire Station”.
Charlie spent the war years fighting fires in London, attending many of the major blazes and incidents, including those during the Blitz. Being a firefighter during the War was a tough job, Charlie said: “We worked 120 hours a week and our wages were £3 a week”. Of his fire sta- tion visit, Charlie said: “I was surprised and delighted to be invited back to Tooting Fire Sta- tion, it was wonderful. It was good to meet old friends and present day firefighters and it
brought back many memories. “The gift of the firefighter’s axe is very special and is something I had always wanted. I don't consider myself a hero. During the war I was just doing my job”.
When asked about the secret of living to 100, Charlie said: “Just being happy”.
The Massey Shaw Fireboat Restoration Project
The Massey Shaw is one of London's un-sung heroes on the Thames. Built in 1935, the fireboat served the London Fire Brigade for many years and also took part in the WWII 'Operation Dynamo' to rescue soldiers from the beaches at Dunkirk. It ferried 500 men to the warships and bought over 100 men back to England.
The boat was named after Sir Eyre Massey Shaw, founder of the Metropolitan Fire Bri- gade. It was built in 1935 on the Isle of Wight, and the powerful pumps were made in Greenwich. One of her last major jobs was the Tate & Lyle factory fire in Silvertown.
The Massey Shaw was designed to navigate all of the bridges along the Thames at any state of the tide. Her powerful pumps allowed her to pump 11 tonnes of water per hour straight from the river and is said to be the only surviving fireboat of her type in Europe.
David Rogers is the director of the Massey Shaw & Marine Preservation Society, a group of enthusiasts who now own and look after the vessel, currently moored at Deptford Creek in south east London. He is keen that the fire fighting community know about the project and although they have been given lottery funding for the restoration, volunteers and funding are always sought. This is one of the charities that the Worshipful Company Charitable Trust supports.
In the early 1900s, the River Thames was served by a fleet of approximately 40 steam fireboats, which were able to pump water directly from the river to fight a blaze. Fireboats were particularly useful for the large fires that broke out in the ware- houses and factories along the Thames.
Today, the London Fire Brigade has just two working fireboats.
You can find more infor- mation about The Massey Shaw Fireboat by logging onto www.masseyshaw.org.uk