NextBack“I was only sixteen when the war began and joined the Home Guard but I got drummed out. “When we were issued with rifles they decided I wasn't old enough to handle a rifle so I joined Terry's Fire Brigade instead. The only war damage to Terry's was a tiny pane of glass blown out. There was more danger from the anti-aircraft guns than from the bombs.
“Although there was very little enemy activity In Redditch there was no shortage of work. Everybody had to stand to, it was just in case. We had a regular routine, there were two of us on duty at a time and if anything happened, other people were expected to turn up. We also liaised with the AFS (Auxiliary Fire Service) and did drills.”
'One of our duties was to be prepared to man a large fire pump at the side of the Lodge Pool. A large pipe some six inches in diameter was laid in the gutter up Millsbro Road terminating at a large water tank at the top of the road. The idea was that if the storage tank ever needed topping up, we would be able to pump water into the steel pipe and up the hill. Fortunately we never had to use it. ”
