Oxfordshire history: 100 years of Wallingford Fire Station

On Saturday, June 15, locals came together to mark the 100th anniversary of the Wallingford Fire Station with an open morning highlighting a vintage 1930s Dennis fire engine, old fire uniforms and other memorabilia before the team participated in the carnival procession through town.

On-call watch manager Dan Reed said it was difficult to pick out a single memorable moment from such a long history. 

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He said: "Anyone who has served any period over the years has attended a wide variety of incidents and will have many memories.

"We meet such a wide network of people in the community too.

"Many remember the air raid siren sounding around the town that used to call the firemen into the station for an emergency call!

"They also had bells in their houses which rang at night."

Mr Reed explained that before the service was introduced, fires were "solely fought by local volunteers using leather buckets and hand pumps". 

The town received a manual fire engine in 1836 and by 1865 there was a fire engine - in a horse-drawn cart - based under the town hall.  

Mr Reed said: "When a fire was discovered, telegrams used to be sent and the horses from the local breweries and foundries were summoned to the town hall and attached to the carts and proceeded to the fire.

"In 1887 a fire engine shed was built near the water works located behind Station Road.

"This brought criticism from the town’s residents following a report in 1899 of a fire in the town and over half an hour before the firemen arrived."

The fire engine was moved to a basic shed on New Road directly behind the Green Tree Public house, before The Wallingford Rural and District Fire Station was finally erected in 1924 in the current location of Station Road. 

Historian Judy Dewey previously wrote in the Wallingford Herald about the 1980 Flint Cottage Fire. (Picture by Judy Dewey) 

Mr Reed explained there are 12 current personnel at the station who cover various hours while balancing jobs and family commitments, while the on-call firefight is a paid role.

Community members who had previously served in the team were at the open morning on Saturday with their families before the Wallingford fire service's float took part in the Carnival procession through the town. 

Mr Reed said: "There is no real typical day as we are part time - some of the firefighters work a 9-to-5 job and half the station work shifts."

"We are always recruiting and seeking new recruits, and appeal to anyone who is at least 18 years of age and lives and or works within five  minutes of the fire station.

"Anyone interested is encouraged to look at our recruitment website or come to the fire station on a Wednesday evening for an informal chat."

The station now falls under Oxfordshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service which is also marking a milestone - celebrates 50 years this year.