Fire Buffs promote the general welfare of the fire and rescue service and protect its heritage and history. Famous Fire Buffs through the years include Edward VII, who maintained a kit at a London fire station.

February 24, 2011

INJURED BLITZ FIREMEN

Photo from archives of Daily Mirror showing London firefighters being treated at Westminster Hospital during the Blitz. The photo is dated March 1, 1941. Members of the fire service suffered eye injuries caused by embers and debris.

February 11, 2011

KEW GARDENS - 1913

In 1913, the Tea House at Kew Gardens in London was set alight by suffragettes Olive Wharry and Lilian Lenton. The suffragettes were responsible for a series of blazes across London meant to protest government policy.

February 10, 2011

GARDINER'S CORNER - 1972




Clothing store Gardiner gave its name to the junction Gardiner's Corner, which brought together the main thoroughfares of East London. In 1972, fire gutted the century-old building and caused the clock tower to collapse. The business had closed the year before the fire.

STEPNEY - 1911

Scenes of the "Battle of Stepney" on Sidney Street, East London, on Jan. 2, 1911. The gunfight and fire led to the death of two "anarchists" suspected in the Houndsditch Murders of three police officers. The siege also claimed the life of a London fireman - Superintendent Charles Pearson - who sustained injuries when a wall collapsed. He died several months later. The incident sparked a political row over the involvement of then-Home Secretary Winston Churchill.