Seven pictures illustrating the fire service in the Second World War. Catalogue ref: INF 3/1271
Reginald Mills (1896-1950) was a British painter and an illustrator of children’s books. He joined the Auxiliary Fire Service during the Second World War. He also produced a collection of paintings based on the Blitz.
- Find out about the role of the Auxiliary Fire Service during the Second World War.
- What changes in firefighting methods during the Second World War are suggested by these pictures following (a) the Victorian period and (b) London in 1666?
Visual description
A series of seven pictures illustrating the fire service in the Second World War.
Starting from the top left:
- Ten uniformed firemen wearing peaked caps stand in front of a commanding officer holding a piece of paper.
- A woman with a scarf tied around her head leans out of a fire engine fitted with two coiled hoses on the side and talks to a fireman who carries a bag containing a pair of boots.
- A fireman stands at the top of a ladder leaning against the window of a tall building and holds onto a shorter second ladder attached to the wall next to the window. A second fireman secures the main ladder below. A man is walking past in the adjacent street.
- Seven men are shown using fire hoses.
- Two men with coiled fire hoses move towards a damaged building covered in smoke. Three men behind them are operating a mechanical water pump attached to fire hoses which other men hold.
- A fireman wearing a helmet is holding a hose pointing into billowing smoke. Two other firemen in helmets attend the scene.
- Four men wash or shower in a washroom after their shift.