Its been quite mild here up until now , rain now stopped , not as bad as it has been in other parts of England but it is winter!

Hello Bill, sorry I'm late. Welcome to the site.


I love the pics of your "Birmingham Bedford" with it's National Fire Service livery. Did it see much action during the war?


One of the many things on my "If only" list is to see some diecast company produce a few versions of the Austin K2 in 1:43 scale.


Dave.

Hi Dave. 


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Fire_Service  Some info on the NFS during WW2. 


 


Don't know that much about GGX 583 during WW2 but they did build quite a lot. 


http://www.romar.org.uk/page381.html


I know GGX 583 was based at Carlisle Fire Station for quite a few years, it was used for driver training and also for painting the yellow "H" Hydrant  Signs that you used to see all over the place. The back end of the truck was covered in yellow paint. 


I found it in a Caravan yard, in the mid 80s, the guy was going to take the back of and use it as a wrecker. It took me a over a year to get it road worthy. On the way back to Carlisle after  it's 1st trip to NEMVC  Club rally at Durham, about halfway home the head gasget blew. It took me hours to get those last few miles home.


 


Bill.

Thanks for your reply Bill. Yes I'm familiar with the role played by the NFS, I was just curious about your K2's history.


As it happens, my Dad was in the NFS in Birmingham during the war years, and continued as an AFS volunteer for many years thereafter. In fact, he was out fighting fires on a particular day in 1942, and could see the bombs falling like rain over the Maternity Hospital where I was being born! Fortunately Jerry was a hopeless shot - he missed!  


As a kid, I loved "accompanying" my Dad on his shifts at the fire station (never on a call-out though). The fire tenders were awe inspiring, still are really. I have a vivid memory of when I was about 5, looking up at a big flat fronted Dennis that seemed to reach right up into the sky! Happy days.  


Dave.