Looking for Fire Service info

[Linsey]

Hi,

My Grandad served in the Fire Service in Islington from 1938 to 1941, where he had to leave through disability. His truck was bombed. I am looking for any information or photos that anyone may have as my Grandmother threw everything away when my Grandad died through grief.

Any direction where I can find his service records would be so appreciated.

Many thanks
Linsey

[gortonboy]

Can you post his details? Name? When and where born?

[Linsey]

His details are

John King
Born 02/11/1914 - Islington
Islington Fire Station

I was told that he was invalided out in 1941 due to the truck he was on getting bombed.

Any help would be greatly appreciated Thank you
Linsey

[gortonboy]

Is he the one at 228 Metropolitan Fire Brigade Upper Street , Islington, London, England in the 1939 register.?

[Linsey]

Yes, that's him. Is there any other information on him? Thank you so much. Linsey

[gortonboy]

There doesn't seem to be a database for Auxiliary fireman who served during WW2. You could try contacting the London fire brigade and asking if any records survive.

[Linsey]

Thank you for helping me I really appreciate it

[Chris Doran]

You might find some basic information in Islington Council Minutes. Our local ones, for example, include appointments and terminations thereof, illness, pay rises, promotions, and commendations. But you won't find them online and would have to spend some time at Islington Local Studies going through committee minutes,or pay someone to do so if you can't get there. Local newspapers may also mention him, especially the bombing of his truck, but the big digitisation project has sparse coverage of London so again it would be a manual search.

Caveat: My observations are based on a local Council on the outskirts of London (Beckenham) which controlled its own Fire Brigade at least at the outbreak of WW2. Management may have been different in inner London.

[Peter Goodey]

Management may have been different in inner London.

Islington would have been covered by the Metropolitan Fire Brigade from 1866, renamed the London Fire Brigade in 1904.

The London Fire Brigade and the Auxiliary Fire Service would have become part of the National Fire Service in 1941. John King may or may not have been in the National Fire Service. In 1947 control reverted to local authorities.

In any case, as I understand it, all records would have been inherited by the London Fire Brigade.

[Peter Goodey]

Here is a link to an old London Fire Brigade page.

https://web.archive.org/web/20070206...ur_history.asp

This page is no longer current but it should provide a clue about who to contact (by the way, the museum appears not to have a permanent home at the moment)