Category Archives: Roads

Fire Alarm Posts

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For around 30 years it was possible for the public to call the fire brigade without using a telephone. Fire alarms were made available across the town, mounted on posts, typically near factories.

Each alarm, when pulled, would send its number to the fire station, using a direct line. The fire brigade would know where to send the crew, who would be able to work out for themselves where the fire was when they got there.

The alarms were withdrawn from service in 1953.

In 1937 the chief fire officer’s report gave a list of the locations of the 36 fire alarm posts. OS maps show the position of an alarm as ‘F A P’, or ‘Fire Alarm Post’.

From the minutes of the
Fire Brigade, Baths and Library Committee
Tuesday, 14th April, 1937
page 541

Gamewell Closed Circuit Fire Alarm System, in three circuits, with 36 succession type boxes, four circuit switchboard, automatic repeater, and visual indicator.
Circuit 1

Station fire alarm 55
Church Road corner of Batsworth Road 15
Western Road junction of Church Road 18
High Street Colliers Wood outside tube station 23
Denison Road opposite Miller Road 25
High Street Colliers Wood corner Robinson Road 27
Norfolk Road opposite Harewood Road 31
Hawks Road junction of Turner Avenue 35
Fleming Mead junction of Alexandra Road 36
Tooting Junction near Grenfell Road 42
Links Road corner of Hailsham Road 44
Seely Road opposite Cromer Road 46
Woodlands corner of Cavendish Road 51
Upper Green corner of Upper Green West 53
Lavender Avenue corner of Steers Mead 54
Haslemere Road junction of Church Road 61-16

Circuit 2

Streatham Road junction of London Road 113
Streatham Road opposite Pascalls 115
Streatham Road corner of Park Avenue 117
Greyhound Terrace corner of Marian Road 121
Grove Road between Woodstock and Warminster Way 123
Carshalton Road near Mitcham Junction 152
London Road opposite Morden Road 164
Edgehill Road opposite Beecholme Avenue 231
Caesars Walk opposite Walsingham Road 243
Bramcote Avenue opposite Mitcham Park 131-10

Circuit 3

Stanford Road junction of Windermere Road 125
Northborough Road opposite Beckway Road 128
Manor Road near Robinhood Close 133
Castleton Road junction of Commonside East 134
Commonside East corner of Tamworth Park 141
Sherwood Park Road opposite Lexden Road 143
Rowan Road corner of Stanford Way 212
Beech Grove junction of Dahlia Gardens 213
Galpins Road corner or Manton Way 215
Longthornton Road junction of Rowan Road 223-10

This list was part of a report by the Chief Officer, Albert G. Wells, M.I.Fire. E.

Maps of Locations

Fire Alarm Posts are identified by the letters F A P on the map.

15

18

53

54

61-16

115

Minutes of meetings held by the Mitcham Borough Council are available on request from the Merton Heritage and Local Studies Centre at Morden Library.

Mitcham Athletic Club

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The Mitcham Athletic Club had been formed in 1920, according to this letter head from 1938:

letter head from an award made in 1938

The club’s motto was Nil Desperandum, never despair.

From the Mitcham Youth Handbook of 1949

MITCHAM ATHLETIC CLUB

This nationally famous Athletic Club, numbering many Olympic and international athletes among its members, has a considerable youth section. It gives coaching to young athletes and runs a scholar-ship scheme by which promising youngsters are given free membership of the Club for a year. During the summer meetings are all out-doors at the News of the World track on Tuesday, Thursday and alternate Monday evenings. During the winter meetings are held on Thursday evenings from 8.0 to 10.0 p.m. in Bond Road School. The Club organises games activities as well as athletics and enters a team in the Youth Council netball league. Club members assist at nearly every sports meeting held in the area. Enquiries to the Secretary, Mr. L. E. Oliver, 33 Burleigh Avenue, Wallington.

Source: Local Studies Centre, Morden Library, Civic Centre, Morden.
Reference: L2 (369) MIT

Getty Photographs

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News Articles

ATHLETE MARRIES ATHLETE

Miss Dorothy Proctor, of the Middlesex Ladies’ Athletic Club, and British quarter mile champion in 1827, was married on Saturday, at St. George’s Church, Headstone Middlesex, to Mr. Norman Gunn, who was half-mile champion of Surrey last year. Mr. Gunn is a brother of Miss Muriel Gunn, now Mrs. Cornell, of the Mitcham Athletic Club, the women’s long-jump champion of the world.

Source: Shepton Mallet Journal – Friday 21 December 1928 from the British Newspaper Archive

From the Daily Express, 19th May 1936:

Athlete Killed By Lightning

Lightning is believed to have killed Robert CROMBIE, of Figges-road, Mitcham (Surrey), member of Mitcham Athletic Club, whose body, marked across one shoulder, was found under a tree in Netley Woods, near Guildford, yesterday.

Crombie had been for a walk.

He ran at the White City on Saturday. On March 21, he leaped 21ft. 3ins., to win the A.A.A. indoor championship long jump.

From the Daily Express, 22nd May 1936:

Killed by lightning
When Neck was wet

Raindrops which collected on a man’s neck led to his death when he was sheltering under trees from a thunderstorm.

This was mentioned at the inquest at Shelford, Guildford, yesterday, on Roberts Creswell Crombie, age 25, or Figges Road, Mitchem and a verdict of “Accidental death,” was returned.

AN ATHLETE

Crombie, a prominent Surrey athlete, left a party of friends to shelter in Netley Woods, Shere. He was found dead by a woman picking wild flowers after the storm.

Dr Eric Gardner, of Weybridge, stated that the lightning took a diagonal course from the left side from his neck to his right leg. in addition to the burns on his neck there were other marks where his soaking clothing would have touched his body.

He added to a penknife, key ring and steel key found on Crombie were very powerfully magnetised, indicating that the body had been struck by lightning.