Nice photo. This appliance was one of seven WrT’s ordered by Essex County Fire Brigade in May 1958 from Hampshire Car Bodies Southampton. It’s chassis was a Dodge 3125 and as delivered was fitted with a 300 gallon water tank, Godiva main pump, a Coventry Climax featherweight marine portable fire pump and a 30’ Ajax ladder.
Added by Paul H on 05 November 2017.
Paul: Interesting that these had a small water tank.
This would have meant back then that they would not have complied with the Home Office JCDD specification, which called for a 400 gallon tank, and would therefore have been considered to be pump appliances only.
Whether this had any financial impact on the county's grant at the time would probably be moot by now, but it is a little bit quirky....
This type of bodywork most often was built on Bedford chassis, including a weird version with two central sliding cab doors for especially slender firemen, very similar to the Merryweather cab of the same era. To my kind, the four door was a lot more sensible.
Essex was a very good customer for HCB buying more than 40 Dodge chassied fire appliances between 1955 and 1958. They also bought several 100-series normal control appliances from Carmichael and a few Commer / Miles.
This is the third 300-series forward control WrT purchased from HCB (body 451) and after this the brigade turned almost exclusively to Dennis for their pumping appliances.
HCB-Angus archivist advises that this style of forward-control cab, that was also used on Bedford chassis, was first used around 1958. The 'acorn' style blue light would have been a later addition as these did not come in until the early 1960s.
It seems that Bedfordshire was probably the first fire brigade to use them, mainly for fire appliances operating on the M1 motorway.
Darlington's unique Leyland Firemaster Magirus TL was delivered in July 1960 and was one of the first - or perhaps even the first - fire appliances to have blue beacons.
It is thankfully still preserved and in the care of Dr. Barry Hutchinson not far from its original home on Borough Road!
Added by M.west on 03 November 2017.