Worcestershire | Archive | 2005 | July | 8
From the archive, first published Friday 8th Jul 2005.
Under the photo of the Norwich Union fire engine in last Friday's Worcester News you ask "We wonder when this was..." The answer is 1905.
From around 1860 steam fire engines made by firms like Merryweather and Shand Mason were all horse drawn and the steam engine was only used to drive the water pumps. However, in 1899 the Norwich Union Fire Insurance Co in Worcester took delivery of the world's first self-propelled fire engine which was converted from a horse drawn one by Merryweather. There were only three conversions done, the others went to Hull and London County Council, but all proved to be not very satisfactory and were converted back to horse drawn.
Three years later Merryweather introduced a purpose-designed self-propelled fire engine they called the Fire King which they made in six sizes. The one shown in the photo is one of the smaller ones, a Size No 2 which was delivered to Worcester Norwich Union in 1905. At this time the responsibility for fire fighting was being taken over by the Municipal Fire Brigades and the one for Norwich Union was the only self-propelled engine to be supplied to a private fire fighting company out of 52 manufactured.
The Worcestershire Municipal Fire Brigade took over from Norwich Union in 1929 and the engine was probably then scrapped.
Anthony R Thomas, Worcester.
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