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Dennis Big 6, 1931 - West Ham Fire Brigade
This is 1931 Dennis Big under restoration. It is fitted with the Dennis Six cylinder side valve engine. It has a mid-mounted Dennis pump and carries an escape ladder. Originally supplied to the Fire Brigade at West Ham it later passed on to the Kodak film company works fire brigade. After leaving Kodak it has changed hands a number of times and has been a non-runner for at least the past 20 years. Very slowly it is starting to come to life again. You can this machine in two YouTube videos;
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXeK4MNFz-0
www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_pWYxwdAPA
JD1490
This is 1931 Dennis Big under restoration. It is fitted with the Dennis Six cylinder side valve engine. It has a mid-mounted Dennis pump and carries an escape ladder. Originally supplied to the Fire Brigade at West Ham it later passed on to the Kodak film company works fire brigade. After leaving Kodak it has changed hands a number of times and has been a non-runner for at least the past 20 years. Very slowly it is starting to come to life again. You can this machine in two YouTube videos;
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXeK4MNFz-0
www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_pWYxwdAPA
JD1490
Sharon,
Maybe your Granddad didn't drive this West Ham Dennis, but your Dad certainly could. Do you have any pictures of him at Kodak. This my fire engine and I would love to see any of its history.
Best wishes,
Barry.
Added by Barry on 21 January 2009.
Maybe your Granddad didn't drive this West Ham Dennis, but your Dad certainly could. Do you have any pictures of him at Kodak. This my fire engine and I would love to see any of its history.
Best wishes,
Barry.
Added by Barry on 21 January 2009.
My Mothers Godfather William Moore was ? Fire chief at West Ham Fire Station in the 30'sso he may have driven your Engine. He had no children.
Added by Carol on 01 August 2009.
Added by Carol on 01 August 2009.
My Grandfather drove this Truck when he was in the West Ham Fire Brigade, Walter Smith. He joined in about 1932 as a driver then was an Officer with the AFB along side Cyril Demarne in Stratford Broadway.
Added by Richard Smith on 19 March 2015.
Added by Richard Smith on 19 March 2015.
Richard please contact me via my email link on this site. I am writing a history of WHFB.
Added by Peter Williams on 21 March 2015.
Added by Peter Williams on 21 March 2015.
Richard
My Grand father was an Auxiliary officer during the war and based at West Ham too.
Victor Edward Franklin, known as 'Eddie'
His badge and war service medals are on display in the Home Front exhibition at the North Weald Museum near Epping, Essex
Added by Trevor Franklin on 26 July 2017.
My Grand father was an Auxiliary officer during the war and based at West Ham too.
Victor Edward Franklin, known as 'Eddie'
His badge and war service medals are on display in the Home Front exhibition at the North Weald Museum near Epping, Essex
Added by Trevor Franklin on 26 July 2017.
Our Dennis historians will help with this, but to my mind 1931 was rather early for them to build a mid mount pump on a pump escape, unless you count Finchley's 1904 Merryweather, which was the first ever motor pump escape appliance.
Added by Rob Johnson on 31 May 2018.
Added by Rob Johnson on 31 May 2018.
I spy a Stonefield.....
Added by Andy on 05 June 2018.
Added by Andy on 05 June 2018.
Hello! I’m very interested in speaking to Dr Barry about this engine. My grandfather owned it before the auction he won it from. Dr Barry - please reach out with your up to date contact details. Thank you so much in advance.
Added by Adam Smith on 07 January 2026.
Added by Adam Smith on 07 January 2026.
Adam
I have sent Dr BAH an email on your behalf. JD1490 is still in his ownership, and is a runner, but I do not think the bodywork is restored. It is teak which may be hard to source for repairs! Are you familiar with this film?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVSBV70bP8g&t=12s
petros
volunteer moderator
and author "West Ham and its fire brigade"
Added by Petros on 07 January 2026.
I have sent Dr BAH an email on your behalf. JD1490 is still in his ownership, and is a runner, but I do not think the bodywork is restored. It is teak which may be hard to source for repairs! Are you familiar with this film?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVSBV70bP8g&t=12s
petros
volunteer moderator
and author "West Ham and its fire brigade"
Added by Petros on 07 January 2026.
Although the first motor pump supplied to a municipality in England in 1904 was a Merryweather pump escape with a mid mounted pump, British fire brigades still tended to order a lot of pump escapes with rear mounted pumps even into the nineteen sixties. I believe this makes this example rather unusual, as most PE s from the early thirties were rear mounts, so all the more reason to be pleased it has survived.
Added by Rob Johnson on 09 January 2026.
Added by Rob Johnson on 09 January 2026.
Dennis
Added by Sharon on 19 January 2009.