Croxley Green History Project
  • Home
  • Croxley Green Chronicle
    • John Caius
  • Keys to Croxley Green
    • Latin Document
  • A Village Grows
    • A Stroll Down New Road >
      • Introduction
      • Odd Numbers
      • Census Interlude
      • Even Numbers
      • Appendix 1
      • Appendix 2
      • Appendix 3
    • Byewaters Estate
    • Council Houses
    • Cassiobridge Estate
    • Kebbell Housing
    • Durrants Estate
    • Highfield and Windmill Estate
    • Mayfare Estate
    • Nuttfield Estate
    • Parrotts Estate
    • Prefabricated Housing
    • Street Names
  • World Wars
    • War Memorial WW1
    • First World War 1914-1918
    • WWI Soldiers from Croxley
    • WW1 Centenary >
      • Community Club 03-10-2018
      • Celebrations 100 years 1918 -2019
      • Remembrance Day 11-11-2018
      • Residents Photographs 11-11-18
      • All Saints Memorial Doors
      • All Saints Memorial Doors Booklet
      • Peace Picnic 14-07-2019
    • War Memorial WW2
    • Second World War 1939-1945 >
      • Civil Defence
      • Celebrations
      • Rationing
      • Croxley Mill
      • All Saints Rededication
      • Second World War Memories >
        • WW2 Memories - Glenn Kinnear
        • WW2 Memories - Jill Butler
    • WW2 Forces and Croxley Residents
    • WW2 Secrets of Croxley House
    • WW2 Secrets of Redheath House
  • Schooldays / Educators
    • Children at Play
    • Yorke Road School >
      • Yorke Road School History
      • Leukaemia Research
      • Paul O'Reilly Builders
      • Grand Opening
    • Yorke Road Infants School
    • Yorke Road Girls School
    • The Old Boys School Watford Road
    • Harvey Road School
    • Durrants School >
      • Durrants Memories
      • Croxley Song Book
      • Croxley Song Book
      • Physical Education
    • Malvern Way School
    • Little Green School >
      • Little Green School - Architects Journal
    • Rickmansworth School
    • Yorke Mead School
    • Oak House Private School
  • The Institute / Guildhouse
  • The Railway to Croxley Green
  • The Housewifes Choice
  • Celebrating in Style
    • Golden Jubilee Queen Victoria 1887
    • Diamond Jubilee Queen Victoria 1897
    • Coronation Edward VII 1902
    • Coronation George V 1911
    • Silver Jubilee George V 1935
    • Coronation George VI 1937
    • Festival of Britain 1951
    • Coronation Elizabeth II 1953
  • Churches
    • All Saints Church
    • Baptist Church
    • Fuller Way
    • Gospel Hall
    • Little Chapel Chandlers Cross
    • Methodist Church New Road
    • St Bedes
    • St Oswald Church
  • Public Houses
    • The Artichoke
    • The Coach and Horses
    • Duke of York
    • The Fox and Hounds
    • Gladstone Arms
    • George and Dragon
    • The Halfway House
    • The Plough
    • The Red House
    • The Rose
    • The Sportsman
    • The Two Bridges
  • Community Activities
    • Camera Club
    • Church Lads Boys Brigade
    • Croxley Mummers
    • Croxley Week
    • Girls Brigade
    • The Revels >
      • Revels Chronicle
      • Revels Archives
    • Parish Council >
      • Croxley Green Main
      • CGPC Craft Fair
    • Scouts Brownies Guides >
      • Scouting in Croxley Green
      • Scouting Memorabilia
    • Wassail
    • Youth Club
  • Sports
    • John Dickinson Sports >
      • Football Team
      • Ladies Hockey
      • Rifle Club
    • Football
    • National Association of Boys Club
    • Old Boys School >
      • Old Boys Football Club
  • Croxley at Work
    • John Dickinson >
      • Aerial views of the Mill
      • Coal Deliveries
      • Fire Fighters >
        • William Beauchamp (Fire Fighter)
      • The Mill Railway
      • The Mill Employees >
        • Union of the House of Dickinson
      • Mill Photos
      • General Views
      • Delivery Vehicles
      • 1896 Booklet
      • JD Booklet
    • Blacksmiths
    • Coal Deliveries
    • Croxley Commercial College
    • G H Browning Recovery
    • Sand and Gravel
    • The Windmill
    • Watercress Growers
  • Croxley Farms
    • Croxley Hall Farm >
      • Croxley Great Barn
    • Durrants Farm Estate
    • Hollow Tree Farm
    • Killingdown Farm
    • Lovatts Whitegates
    • Stones Orchard >
      • Stones Orchard Excavation
    • Parrotts Farm
  • Census
    • Census 1841
    • Census 1851
    • Census 1861
    • Census 1871
    • Census 1881
    • Census 1891
    • Census 1901
    • Census 1911
    • Census 1921
    • Population
  • Aerial Photos
    • Croxley From Above
  • Local Publications
    • 1896 Booklet
    • 1896 Booklet 1
    • The Croxley Resident Archives
    • The Parish Pump Issue 1 to 26
    • Parish Pump Issue 27 to Current
    • Local Directories
  • Village Views
    • Trees on the Green
  • Croxley Green Society
    • Croxley Festival 1951
  • Local People
    • CanYouSpotAnyone
    • Famous Locals >
      • Charles Fraser Smith
      • Dr Julius Grant
      • Doctor Wright
      • Francis Beckett
      • Frank Curzon
      • John William Beckett
      • Madame Tussauds
      • Nancy Neele
      • Samuel Ingleby Oddie
      • Sir Guy Spencer Calthrop
    • Local Memories
  • Before and After
    • B&W / Recoloured
    • Original / Modern
    • Merged B&W / Colour
  • Contact / Q&A
  • Page Directory
    • Useful Links
    • Copyright
  • Committee

Dickinson Mill Fire Fighters

Picture
This fire station 1920 has a steam pump
Picture
JD4 An early Fire Brigade station
Picturec1954 The mill had its own fire float and fire fighter service
Fire fighters at the mill became a very important department due to the increasing amount of paper production and the growing size of the site. Dickinson’s first official private fire brigade was established at Nash Mill in 1883 founded by Lewis Evans, grandson of John Dickinson. There was however fire fighting equipment prior to this at all the mills.

Initially, a basic fire fighting crew was established and as the equipment to tackle any impending disasters improved so the mill took advantage of upgrading their appliances.

Several serious fires were recorded at Croxley Mill. In 1883 A Merryweather manual engine was purchased after one such outbreak. Another incident documented in May 1924 put the entire local mill brigades to the test when the offices and stationery department were completely gutted.

A fire was discovered in the main offices at around 9pm. The mill’s own brigade was soon mobilised to save the building but the task was too much as there was a strong breeze that night fanning the flames. Such was the intensity brigades arrived soon after 10pm from other mills as well as fire crews from Bushey, Berkhamsted, Chesham, Hemel Hempstead, Kodak (Harrow) Rickmansworth, Watford and St. Albans.
In total at least 10 Brigades and 150 fire fighters tried in vain to save the buildings even though water was freely available from the canal and the River Gade. The damage to the main offices and stationery department ran into thousands of pounds.

Safety was always uppermost with the mill managers and notices were constantly placed around the mill as a reminder to the staff of the vulnerability of the environment that they worked in.

Sources:       The Endless Web Joan Evans
                       Watford Observer newspaper
                       Apsley Paper Trail, Frogmoor Paper Mill

Picture
John Dickinson's 1937 Leyland Cub FK6 Fire Engine taken c1946
Picture
(© Paul Sturman) The same Leyland Cub FK6 restored in 2016
This medal showing both sides inscribed was presented to Charles Foster for 20 years Service with the Croxley Dickinson Fire Brigade. He was therefore a firefighter from 1895-1915
Picture
Fireman C Foster, Dickinson FB Croxley Mill 1915
Picture
National Fire Brigade Union

Picture
Fire prevention notice
Picture
A poster concerning Smoking
Picture
A poster concerning Smoking
Picture
CGHP are proud to be included on the Imperial War Museum "Mapping the Centenary" project website. You can see other projects HERE and our project HERE
© Ross Humphries
Clicking on a photo will open it in a new window to hopefully be viewable more easily​
Please contact us should you wish to contribute or have images you would like to share. Contact HERE
Picture
© Croxley Green History Project 2012        Legal | Privacy

If you have any questions or comments please use the contact page