National Fire Service

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The National Fire Service (NFS) was the single united countrywide fire service created in the United Kingdom during the Second World War.

The NFS was created in August 1941 by the amalgamation of the wartime national Auxiliary Fire Service (AFS) and the local authority fire brigades (about 1,600 of them). It existed until 1948, when it was again split, with fire services reverting to local authority control, although this time there were far fewer brigades, with only one per county and county borough.

The NFS had both full-time and part-time members, male and female. Its uniform was the traditional dark blue double-breasted tunic, and it adopted the peaked cap worn by the AFS instead of the peakless sailor-style cap which had been worn by many pre-war fire brigades (including the London Fire Brigade). The peaked cap was retained by fire services after the war.

When they were on duty, but in the frequent long stretches between calls, many firemen and firewomen performed vital wartime manufacturing work, in workshops in the fire stations or adjacent to them. This was entirely voluntary, but since many of the wartime personnel had worked in factories before the war it was work with which they were familiar and skilled.

The Chief of the Fire Staff and Inspector-in-Chief throughout the war (until 28 February 1947, when he retired) was Sir Aylmer Firebrace, former Chief Officer of the London Fire Brigade.

At peak strength the NFS had 370,000 personnel, including 80,000 women.

[edit] Ranks

Men

Fireman
Leading Fireman
Section Leader
Company Officer
Senior Company Officer
Column Officer
Divisional Officer
Assistant Fire Force Commander
Fire Force Commander
Chief Regional Fire Officer
Chief of the Fire Staff

Women

Firewoman
Leading Firewoman
Senior Leading Firewoman
Assistant Group Officer
Group Officer
Assistant Area Officer
Area Officer
Regional Woman Fire Officer

[edit] Notable members

Members of the NFS who were well-known in civilian life (or later became so) included:

A. L. Barker, writer (NFS telephonist)
Robert Buhler, artist
Cyril Demarne, writer
Joseph Levy, property developer and estate agent (served in London; won the British Empire Medal for bravery while on duty)
Brian Moore, writer (1941–1942; served in Belfast)
Ernest Race, furniture designer
George Rudé, historian (served in London)
Audrey Russell, radio broadcaster (1941–1942)
William Sansom, writer
Sir Stephen Spender, writer (1941–1944)
Phyllis Stedman, Baroness Stedman, politician (1941–1944; Group Officer in Derbyshire)
Irene Thomas, radio personality (1941–1944)