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Auxiliary Fire Service AFS, BBC radio, Birmingham Daily Gazette, Express & Star, First women, International Women's Day, Radio Times, Wolverhampton Chronicle, women
Today is International Women’s Day. Wolverhampton Auxiliary Fire Service Women were taking the lead and making the headlines in 1940: #IWD2022
Here are one of the crews aboard a fire tender, ready for action. Express and Star 1940.
Miss Alice Marshall is under 5 ft. tall takes 3½ in shoes and 4½ and gloves but she can handle an auxiliary fire pump and hose with 80lb. pressure jets as well as a man.
So can four other Wolverhampton girls who under her leadership as patrol officer are working the pumps as a complete section at Wolverhampton AFS. station.
I believe we are the only fire women in the country Miss Marshall told the News Chronicle yesterday, one of the girls is a shop assistant the others are clerks. ‘We were watching the men at the wet pump drill’ Miss Marshall explained ‘ I asked the section officer whether we could have a go at the Jets. He gave us three drills, two in the streets and later sent a test call to headquarters, the commandant had a nice surprise when he saw a woman turn out the tender with the coupled pump and other women inside.
When the Queen inspect the AFS ay Birmingham. Section Officer Marshall drove her unit from Wolverhampton for the parade. They like their uniform of navy blue, peaked cap, Wellingtons and coat of proof gabardine.
‘I wouldn’t say a fire is what we are waiting for’ declared Miss Marshall. ‘but we are ready for it”.
A MIDLAND LEAD THAT FEW WOMEN CAN FOLLOW.
From our own correspondent London Monday
Precedent has been established by Miss Alice Marshall and four other Wolverhampton girls who are the first women to take part in firefighting practice.
Hitherto activities of women members of the Auxiliary Fire Service have been confined to driving liaison duties, but there must be plenty who have learned other branches of firefighting during their recent months of duty, who would only be too willing to become active in more exciting capacity.
It is possible therefore that we shall soon see fire engines and appliances ‘manned’ as well as driven by women, for I understand that the Ministry of Home Security which controls these things have no objection to women becoming firefighters.
A MIDLAND HONOUR
Unless they change their mind therefore, women throughout the land will have opportunity of joining as pump crews or ‘hosemen’. The Ministry is leaving final decision to local authorities concerned, and does not contemplate that there will be any big move on the part of women to enlist as other than drivers.
But as an official of the Ministry agreed with me today, ‘you can never tell when dealing with women especially nowadays. They come forward quicker than men and before you know where you are they have shown themselves esfficient and clamouring for equality’. Hoses with 80lb. water pressure, heavy fire pumps, and the fatiguing duties of the fire fighter are not for every woman, and feminine firefighters may be few and far between. Nevertheless wherever they appear it will honour of establishing their claim force to 5 Wolverhampton girls his feminine ingenuity and individuality surprised the administrators of Whitehall.
Unfortunately no recording of this radio show has survived it seems.
HOW WOLVERHAMPTON WOMEN A.F.S. PRACTISED THE PUMP DRILL
AFS organisations all over the country include women, but there are a few in which women actually handle auxiliary pump themselves and do everything with them that firemen can do.
Miss Alice Marshall of Wolverhampton AFS broadcast yesterday in a program “Off Your Own Bat” she describes how Wolverhampton women I’ve been doing this work for months. She is one of the crew of five whose ages range from 20 to 34. Four of them work in offices and the eldest, who is married married works as a shop assistant.
DRENCHED OFFICER
Miss Marshall asked her section officer if the women at the station could learn to use the pumps, because she thought some day they might have to use them. She told the Birmingham Gazette that at first they were not very clever at handling hose. During one practice they knocked off the patrol officers hat and they also drench the section officer, but they continued to practice.
Then one night they turned out in response to a test call from headquarters and gave the commandant Mr HW Hunt a real surprise when they arrived with the pump coupled to the tender “manned” entirely by women. And soon they were drawing water from the hydrant.
READY FOR EMERGENCY.
Miss Marshall said “We haven’t been called to a fire yet, I won’t say that’s what we’re waiting for, but I do you say, we’re ready for it.” Pump drill is done by women at all Wolverhampton stations.
The Auxiliary Fire Service
The Auxiliary Fire Service (A.F.S.) was first formed in 1938 in Great Britain as part of the Civil Defence Service. Its role was to support the work of fire brigades at local level.
Members of the Auxiliary Fire Service were unpaid part-time volunteers, but could be called up for whole-time paid service if necessary. This was very similar to the wartime establishment of the Police Special Constabulary. Men and women could join, women were mainly in administrative roles.
In 1942 the Auxiliary Fire Service and local fire brigades were superseded by the National Fire Service.
After the war the Auxiliary Fire Service was reformed alongside the Civil Defence Corps, forming part of the UK’s planned emergency response to a nuclear attack. This was disbanded in the UK in 1968.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auxiliary_Fire_Service.
City of Wolverhampton Archives
Alice Eveline Marshall is on the 1939 register at 412 Prestwood Road, Wolverhampton, where her occupation is listed as a shorthand typist and her ‘civilian role’ as Auxiliary Fire Service. She is living with her mother Edith, a Shopkeeper: Grocer & Confectioner, and her father Gilbert Felim, an unemployed engineering clerk. The family can also be found on the 1911 census at 19 Hawthorn Road, Roan Road, Levenshulme, Manchester, when Alice was just a baby. Her father Gibert is working as an engineer’s estimator with a motor car manufacturer. In 1944 Alice married Frederick Irwin and remained in Wolverhampton after the war.
There are a number of Women listed on 1939 register in Wolverhampton, with Civilian role of Auxiliary Fire Service (AFS):
Marian G Austen (Smith), Birth date 01 Nov 1909, Single,
Civilian role Auxiliary Fire Service
Address 59 Lea Road, Wolverhampton
Jessie Blunt (Hubball), Birth date 11 Sep 1909, Single, Occupation Shorthand Typist,
Civilian role Auxiliary Fire Service,
Address 56 Poplar Inn Wednesfield Road, Wolverhampton
Margery E Burgoyne, Birth date 17 Jul 1909, Married, Occupation Unpaid Domestic Duties
Civilian role Auxiliary Fire Service, Telephonist
Address 12 Crane Terrace, Wolverhampton
Violet Cox, Birth date 04 Aug 1909, Married, Occupation Unpaid Domestic Duties
Civilian role Auxiliary Fire Service
Address 65 Ash Street, Wolverhampton
Florence H Davies, Birth date 16 Dec 1909, Married, Occupation Unpaid Domestic Duties
Civilian role Auxiliary Fire Service
Address 18 Beechwood Avenue, Wolverhampton
Alice Deacon, Birth date 04 Oct 1909, Married,Occupation Domestic Duties
Civilian role Auxiliary Fire Service
Address 46 Green Drive, Wolverhampton
| City of Wolverhampton Archives hold a County Borough of Wolverhampton certificate: Air Raid Precautions organisation. Auxiliary Fire Service for Miss HE Bate dated 11th July 1939. However I have been unable to trace other references to Miss Bate apart from a school swimming certificate. |
Auxiliary Fire Service for Miss HE Bate dated 11th July 1939.
Wolverhampton's War 