Albert Wells | Mitcham History Notes

From the Mitcham News & Mercury, 10th February, 1933.

FIRE BRIGADES ARE NOT COMPULSORY
REVELATION BY CHIEF OFFICER WELLS

Mr. Albert O. Wells, chief officer of Mitcham Fire Brigade, speaking at a meeting of Reigate firemen on Saturday, said the fire brigade law of this country needed altering.

At the moment, he said, it was not compulsory for a local authority to maintain a fire brigade, and the protection of life and property became the responsibility of a minority largely helped by a system of voluntary service.

There were piles upon piles of properties in this country unprotected from risk of fire in any way.

Mr. Wells also gave details of an experiment now going an in Surrey for a County Fire Board, organised in four divisions to account for every square inch of the County.

Mr. Wells hoped Surrey would go down in history as the pioneer in adopting a system that would eventually become general throughout the country.

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The alarms were withdrawn from service in 1953.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