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Acknowledgments
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In
compiling the history of the Broadway Fire Brigade I have drawn on many
sources. For the early years I was able to take advantage of recently
discovered Parish records which are now preserved at Worcester Records
Office. This is a collection of papers, letters, notes, invoices etc.,
dating from the time when the Broadway Parish Council was formed at the
end of the nineteenth century. It is a rich and fascinating source of
information which includes much about the formation of the Broadway Fire
Brigade. I am grateful for the assistance given to me by the staff at
the Records Office.
Another
important source of information was the Evesham Journal, which is available
on micro-film at Evesham Library. This was especially useful for the wartime
period when the Brigade was controlled by The National Fire Service, whose
records were not available to me. For the later years I was able to study
various log books which were stored at Broadway fire station. These date
back to 1952, recording every incident attended by the Broadway crew since
then, although not in any great detail [These log books are now in the
care of Worcester Records Office].
For
national history I relied heavily on ‘A History of the British Fire
Service’ by G V Blackstone. Written in the mid 1950s, this book is
still considered to be the definitive history of fire-fighting in Britain.
I
am also grateful to those people who were able to share their personal
recollections with me. Although a number of people could remember the
Broadway Brigade as it was before the Second World War, I had little by
way of first hand accounts from the Brigade's ex members. When I started
this project around 1993 there was only one person left alive (as far
as I was aware) who had been a member of the pre-war brigade, and only
a few more who had served in the 1950s and 60s.
My
one disappointment is the apparent scarcity of photographs of the Brigade
before the 1960’s. I have been able to find only one photograph of
the original manual fire engine, taken just prior to its scrapping in
1939. When new, the machine was such a source of pride to the villagers
that it is almost inconceivable that it wasn’t the subject of many
photographs, especially as the village photographer had connections with
the brigade.
I
am especially grateful to the following:-
Brian Parsons 2003 (Fire-fighter at Broadway, 1973-2002) |
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