yeovil at war
auxiliary fire service garage
Goldcroft
In 1938, as the
Government
prepared for
what appeared to
be inevitable
conflict and
that such
conflict would
almost certainly
involve the use
of bombing from
the air, each
Fire Authority
was required to
form an
Auxiliary Fire
Service (AFS),
under the
direction of the
local Chief Fire
Officer, but
whose role was
solely to
prepare for the
eventuality of
war and for
dealing with
fires that would
follow an air
raid.
To overcome some
of the earlier
problems the
fire service was
again
re-organised
into the
National Fire
Service (NFS)
bringing
together the
16,000-plus fire
brigades within
the country.
This force came
into existence
on the 18th
August 1941 and
all brigade and
AFS personnel
were transferred
into it. The
service was
responsible,
through regions,
to the Home
Office directly
which meant that
the chain of
command was much
simpler and the
standardisation
of training and
equipment could
be more
efficient.
This Second
World War
building in
Goldcroft, an
Auxiliary Fire
Service garage,
consists of a
corrugated
asbestos roof of
the "Handcraft"
type mounted on
dwarf walls of
brickwork
construction
with a large
entrance in a
brickwork end
wall. The
original
entrance door
has been
replaced.
|
See also |
-
Auxiliary
/
National
Fire
Service |
Gallery
This photograph
features in my
books "A-Z
of Yeovil"
Auxiliary
Fire Service
Garage,
Goldcroft, with
one of the
original
Westland
Engineers' "up
and over" doors
(thanks to Dave
Shorey for
telling me).
Photographed
2013.
This
photograph
features in
my 2024 book
Auxiliary Fire Service Garage, Goldcroft. Photographed 2013.
