Museum reunites historic engines
TWO historic fire engines which together helped save the North West from a disaster a century ago have been reunited for an exhibition at Greater Manchester Fire Service Museum in Rochdale.
In October 1917, a massive fire and explosion at the National Shell Filling Factory at White Lund, Lancaster, killed 10 people, most of whom were firemen, and caused major damage.
But the disaster could have been even worse had fire brigades from all over Lancashire not sent assistance to fight the blaze.
It was the first time firefighters had been mobilised over such great distances, as crews from Liverpool, Manchester, Salford and Bolton joined others nearer to the incident.
Only two of the many fire engines which attended that disaster still survive and now – a century later – they have been brought back together for a unique exhibition at the museum at the old fire station on Maclure Road.
Both are horse-drawn steam-powered engines dating from the late 1800s and both were built by the famous manufacturer Shand, Mason and Co.
One of them, which originally served with a private textile mill fire brigade in Preston, has been brought in from Sheffield whilst the other, formerly of the Fulwood, Lancashire, Fire Brigade has come from a museum in Leyland.
The exhibition, called Munitions, Mayhem and Medals tells the story of the fire services in the First World War, the difficulties they encountered, and the horrendous incidents they attended in premises connected with the munitions industry – often censored at the time - including the White Lund explosion and the great Ashtonunder-Lyne munitions explosion of June 1917, which killed over 40 local people and was, in many ways, a more devastating incident.
The exhibition runs for the next five weeks, with the two engines remaining on display for the duration.
The museum is open every Friday and on the first Sunday of the month, with free admission.