Green Goddess Article

Origins of the Green Goddess

The Civil Defence Act of 1948 was the basis on which the AFS (Auxiliary Fire Service) was formed in November 1949. This act came about due to the Government of the day being increasingly concerned with the heightening tensions of the then emerging cold war. The fear rapidly grew that the next war would be nuclear and that the majority of the UK’s emergency services would be wiped out after the initial strikes, and that was when the Civil Defence organisation, of which the AFS was a part, would swing into action.

It was decided that there would be two parts to the response, the first being local (Civil Defence), and the second being the mobile column (AFS)

It was envisaged that mobile columns comprising of various emergency appliances and equipment would be stored away from large towns and cities and then sent (manned by AFS volunteers) to affected areas where they could be used to supplement the, presumed damaged, local authority emergency services.

So specifications were drawn up by the Home Office, under whom the AFS would operate, for a whole range of vehicles and equipment to be used by mobile columns, with the self propelled emergency pump (a.k.a. the Green Goddess), being the most numerous vehicles and arguably the backbone of the column.

Bedford SHZ & RLHZ Self Propelled Emergency Pumps

Early models (approximately 1300 vehicles) delivered to the AFS were Bedford S types coded SHZ (S-model, H-fire appliance chassis, Z-outside bodybuilder) these were 4x2 rear wheel drive models with a 400 gallon water tank, 2 first aid reels and numerous lockers containing basic fire fighting and pumping equipment. Behind the cab was a locker that housed a light portable pump (Coventry-Climax special 4-cylinder short stroke petrol).

The more numerous (approximately 1900 vehicles) Bedford RLHZ (R-model, L-long wheelbase, H-fire appliance chassis, Z-outside bodybuilder) was a 4x4 with a smaller 300 gallon water tank mounted more forward on the chassis, resulting in different first aid reel/locker positions from the 4x2’s. The light portable pump still resided in a locker behind the cab.

There were also approx 400 chassis and cowls that were built and stored never being sent to a coachbuilder; they were sold off and never got a body. One resource suggests that total production of Green Goddesses was over 4,000.

I have read that the reason for the Green Goddesses initially being built on a 4x2 chassis is that Bedford, who were building the SB coach chassis at the time, were the only manufacturer who could fulfill such a massive order from the Government. Thus the first Green Goddesses were built on what was, in fact, a coach chassis! When the more rugged and off road 4x4 chassis was developed for the armed forces, the Green Goddesses were then bodied on them.

Many of the famous, and mainly long gone, British coach & bus bodybuilders were used to supply high quality hand crafted bodies, Plaxtons, Duple, Park Royal, Weymann and Harringtons being typical. The ‘limousine’ bodies provided enclosed seating for the crew of six with storage space for equipment; although, as tragically borne out, provided little or no protection in the event of a serious accident.

In both models, power was provided by the Bedford 6 cylinder 300 cu.in. petrol engine of 4927cc, 110 bhp, coupled to a 4-speed gearbox with synchromesh on 2nd, 3rd & 4th. Along with the gear stick, there were 2 levers positioned behind the engine cowling. One shifted between 2 or 4 wheel drive whilst the other engaged the Power Take Off (PTO) allowing the engine power to be diverted to the Sigmund pump. Although the official operating handbook states that first gear is used whilst the PTO is engaged, a plate on the engine cowling contradictorily instructs 4th gear to be used.

Both models carried a Sigmund F.N.4 pump, 900 gpm @ 100lbs psi, which in addition to the first aid reels, could feed 4 x 2¾” outlets for fire fighting, or via a 6” full bore outlet, relay pump from/to another Goddess. This relay pumping was a design feature of these vehicles, one of the duties of mobile columns being to restore water to areas devastated by nuclear attack. To this end, pipe carriers, hose layers, dam carriers and a whole host of other vehicles supported Green Goddesses in this, their intended primary role.

Emergency pumps, along with all other AFS vehicles were painted in a gloss green known as "Deep Bronze Green", BS224 (not olive drab, they are not military vehicles!!!) with AFS wording and logos in "Post Office Red".

Criticism of their apparent lack of success as emergency response vehicles is not justified when their designed function was to have been travelling in mobile columns of around 140 vehicles at speeds of 20 to 40 mph, depending on traffic and road, if any, conditions.

During the national firefighters' strike of 1977-78, the British Army stepped in to answer emergency calls for nine weeks, using the famous "Green Goddesses". Whilst Fire Officers did not take part, they were used in an advisory capacity to the Army service fire-fighters and they grudging admitted that the “Self propelled Emergency Pump”, when (Eventually!) at the scene of a fire, was a very competent and well equipped fire-fighting appliance.

PGW163 and I

163’s exact birthday is unknown. With a chassis number of 6920, this brings it into the range of chassis built by Bedford in 1954, whilst the Park Royal body number, B37556 puts it into a batch of fire appliances built between November 1954 and February 1955 (PGW51-200). So with the first piece of paperwork in its service file bearing the date 1-1-55, I would presume a build date of December 1954, although the Home Office did not register her with a London registration mark until 24th April 1956.

PGW163’s servicing paperwork shows her first Home Office Supply and Transport Repair Depot was Membury, Devon, where the first inspection was in April 1957. An interesting detail from the six-page report was that under Bodywork, the condition was given as ‘fairly good’ and the colour being ‘green undercoat’. Not until a service in 1967 was the bodywork shown as ‘finished green’

The next two-yearly inspection report shows PGW163 being stored at Steventon, Oxfordshire. From 1961 until 1971 she was at Dunkeswell, Devon. From 1975 she returned to Steventon until taken to Marchington, Staffordshire in 1992, when all Emergency Pumps storage/care was transferred to TNT (the huge logistics company who, through a subsidiary, TNT Truckcare, operated the vast storage and servicing facility at Marchington near Uttoxeter that looked after the Home Office fleet of 1034 Green Goddesses).

When the national firefighters' strike commenced in November 1977, Operation Burberry swung into action putting stored Home Office appliances on the streets of the UK, and perhaps for the first time with huge publicity, exposing the British public to the Green Goddess on a nationwide scale.

I was serving in the RAF in 1977, stationed at RAF Wittering, part of a RAF Police specialist unit proving escort cover for convoys. When Operation Burberry commenced, we lost all of our fireman immediately as they were trained in breathing apparatus and were used as first response teams. As the strike spread, drivers were needed in greater numbers and our Motor Transport drivers all disappeared. We were then left, around thirty RAF Police, polishing our Norton Commando bikes and Ford transits to a high shine.

As the pool of HGV qualified service (RN, ARMY, RAF) drivers were gradually used up, the first accidents then occurred with the Green Goddesses. Non-HGV qualified service personnel enthusiastically, and in good faith responding to emergencies, threw their new mounts around with sometimes fatal results. As detailed above, these vehicles were not designed for high-speed response, and with traction tyres, vacuum assisted brakes and "hand-draulic" steering could be a real handful for drivers used to cars or light vans. It was decided to train up more service personnel to HGV standard to prevent any more accidents and that was when our non-productive unit had a spotlight shone upon it. In December 1977 myself and five other unemployed bikers were despatched to RAF St. Athan near Barry, South Wales, for a two-week HGV-3 course.

On the successful passing of the test on TK Bedfords (the TK was a Bedford truck used by all three Services, a direct descendant of the RL used as the chassis for Green Goddesses) we all returned to camp and were warned of a move to a Service Fire Station (SFS) ‘somewhere in England’…….and so January 1978 found us at SFS10 that was housed at a Royal Signals Territorial Army Centre in Bromley, Kent. We took over three Green Goddesses from a Royal Signals unit and I was allocated PGW163, call sign 10B, in the role of driver/operator. At the end of Operation Burberry, I returned to RAF Wittering and eighteen months later, civvy street. PGW163 returned to Steventon with 569 miles logged.

The great Kelsey Park allotment fire of January 1978…….

It was our first shift, and we were all excited about what might happen over the next 12 hours. After taking over from the day shift and checking the pump over, we were placed on ‘first response’. A call then came in around 7pm, an allotment was ablaze off Wickham Road, Beckenham Junction; this was it!

We raced out to 163 and I fired her up, the crew piled in and off we went following our Police escort who was there to guide us to the fire location using his specialist local knowledge. On leaving the Territorial Army Centre, the Police BSA Bantam turned left. Now this was new territory to us as previous training runs had taken us right into Bromley Town Centre. So therefore the steep hill, we immediately started to hurtle down, took me by surprise and concentrated the mind somewhat. Previous trips in 163 had shown her to be quite responsive, if slow, steering well, but seemingly reluctant to stop……

We gathered speed rapidly with 300 gallons of water and six crew on board in addition to the 5½ ton tare weight!!! As we neared the bottom of the hill, we could see a roundabout and lights with a railway station over a bridge (Shortlands?) and the Bantam rider looking anxiously at our rapid and slightly uncontrolled approach. Fortunately his police training kicked in on seeing fear in the six pale faces staring out of the cab and he stopped all traffic enabling us to hurtle across the junction. The crew chief who had been furiously, and with great relish, sounding the fire bell, was now gripping the dashboard with both hands, and there was no sound from the previously talkative crew on the back seat!!!
	The police escort then threaded us through some suburban streets and we emerged onto a track leading down to the allotments which were adjacent to Kelsey Park. We could see ahead, right in the middle of the plots, a pile of straw bales that were well alight. No one was around and we made straight for the fire. The training then kicked in as I put in the Power Take Off and raced around the back of the machine to start pumping, the nearest first aid reel was being run out and soon a jet of water was playing on the fire.
Now it soon become apparent that the water we carried would not quite suffice for the job, and so the crew chief instructed two crew members to track back to the nearest street and get connected to mains water. Once connected a hose was connected and I put 100psi through the hose….unfortunately, due to our inexperience, a jet nozzle had been fitted to the branch and as the solid jet of water hit the bales, it blew burning straw for yards. Some bits of burning straw landed on creosoted potting sheds and tool huts and very soon the allotment looked as though the Luftwaffe had flown over and dropped a load of incendiaries. The mistake was quickly corrected with a diffuser being fitted and a fine spray used. Another hose was coupled up and the fires were quickly extinguished.

By this time the allotment owners began arriving and were full of praise for our crew……they thought that junior arsonists had set numerous small fires all over their allotments. We never did tell them the truth as copious amounts of tea and biscuits were appearing and the RAF was the toast of the area……..sorry!!!

My procurement of PGW163

I always remembered my days driving and operating 163 with great fondness, and in 1995 when I saw a book about the Auxiliary Fire Service - The Green Machine by Barry Hollis & John Thompson, I purchased it and was thrilled to see that PGW163 was still in existence and in Home Office storage. Over the next few years, the odd Green Goddess was seen at shows and glimpsed behind police stations during minor fireman strikes and I always wondered if I would see 163 again.

Early in 2005, I decided to write to John Prescott who, as Deputy Prime Minister, was responsible for all things fire service, and simply asked if PGW163 was still in store as listed in 1995. Months went by and no reply was forthcoming when an e-mail suddenly arrived from Marchington. The wheels and cogs of government had indeed ground and turned, and my request for information had landed up on the desk of John Schofield, the manager at the TNT facility at Marchington that was responsible for maintaining the Home Office controlled emergency fire service fleet.

John Schofield informed me that the decision had been taken to dispose of the entire reserve fleet of emergency pumps and that WSV (Witham Specialist Vehicles Ltd., the UK Sales & Marketing for MOD Plant & Equipment) of Grantham would be handling the disposal. He could give no indication of when or how PGW163 would be de-commissioned and disposed of.

I contacted Brian Macdonald at Witham's who was most helpful and promised to inform me when PGW163 arrived. During the next few months I followed with interest the growing media coverage of the Green Goddesses disposal and prayed that my particular vehicle would not be among the many pumps gifted overseas by the government. The first tender auction at Witham's in 2005 gave me the opportunity to travel down to Grantham and get up close to an emergency pump for the first time in 27 years. Brian Macdonald must have thought I was mad, as he had around 100 Green Goddesses to offer me and I was not interested in any of them!!!

Finally in February 2006 the call came when PGW163 arrived on a low loader at Witham's; the deal was done, and after 28 years separation, we were reunited.

She has now been re-sprayed and markings applied to bring her back to how she looked in January 1978 whilst being operated by the RAF at Bromley.

My thanks must go to Joe & Ian Cartlidge for the superb paint job, Altrincham Sign Company for the vinyl’s and to Roy Limbert of Limberts Transport for secure and weatherproof storage.

This article is dedicated to Rangers Thompson and McLaughlin of the Royal Irish Rangers who died when the Green Goddess, in which they were travelling, was involved in an accident on Oldham Road, Manchester on December 6th 1977; answering an emergency call that tragically proved to be a false alarm. A plaque commemorating these servicemen was placed in Philips Park near to the scene of the accident in August 2006 with PGW163 in attendance. (Due to water slopping about in the rear, the Green Goddess skidded, lost control and overturned into a petrol station. Ed.)