The Fire Service at War - Description
Three intriguing films looking at the role of the Fire Service in Wartime England. I Was A Fireman (1943) is the story of a day in the life of an Auxiliary Fire Service unit during the height of the Blitz. The AFS was formed in 1938 as back up to the regular fire service in case Britain's cities ever faced mass bombing from the air. Its members were all 'amateurs'. Although it features a dramatised re-staging, I Was a Fireman uses no actors. The cast is made up entirely of genuine AFS fire fighters who served during the Blitz. Fire Services At War (1946) provides a fascinating look at the preparations for war through to 1945. It covers recruitment, training, action under fire during the Blitz, the reorganisation of the Fire Service, the renewed threat posed by V-weapons during 1944 and - at war's end - the Royal salutes to the men and women who served so valiantly through the years. Fire of London (1945) is a vivid account of the London Blitz of 1940-1941, with considerable coverage of the threat posed by fire. It includes shots of a burning oil-depot, the story of the great fire raid of December 29th 1940, a look at water-supply problems and an account of the last great fire attack in May 1941.
