Into the Fire: Hadleigh Firefighters and the Blitz
In May 1941, six fire pumps left Hadleigh for London as the Blitz raged across the capital. What followed was a night of extraordinary danger, courage and endurance, as local firefighters battled fierce fires, collapsing buildings and relentless exhaustion far from home.
DID YOU KNOW? 🚒🔥 Hadleigh’s firefighters once found themselves right in the middle of one of the most devastating nights of the London Blitz.
At 9pm on 10 May 1941, firefighters assembled at Hadleigh Fire Station in London Road after the Benfleet Volunteer Fire Brigade was ordered to send six pumps to London. Leading the party was Leading Fireman “Nobby” Clark.
After a difficult journey into the capital, Nobby and his crew eventually reached Mansion House and Queen Victoria Street, where the fires were so intense that the water from their jets was reportedly turning to steam in the heat.
At one point, the front of a burning Salvation Army building collapsed into the street, burying much of the firefighters’ hose beneath red-hot rubble.
After battling the fires through the night and well into the following day, Nobby and his crew were finally allowed to stand down at 3.30pm. They arrived back at Hadleigh Fire Station at around 6pm on 11 May.
Time for a well-earned rest, you’d think…
Not quite.
Just ten hours later, after a wash and some sleep, they were back in convoy heading for London again. 😲 A stark reminder of the bravery of the local firefighters who left our Hadleigh fire station to help protect London during one of its darkest nights. ❤️🚒
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