Fire service: Celanese fireman for 40 years

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Sydney Littlewood, at the steering wheel, pictured on his retirement in 1971, with chief fire officer Frank Guest in the passenger seat

OUR father, the late Sydney Littlewood, joined the British Celanese Fire Service as a full-time fireman in 1931 and served 40 years with them. The picture was taken on his retirement at the age of 65 in 1971. Sydney is behind the steering wheel and Frank Guest, the chief fire officer, is in the passenger seat next to him.

The engine – the firm’s original 1925 model T Ford – was brought out of retirement specially for the occasion.

Before he went to Celanese, Dad served as a retained fireman with Beeston Fire Brigade.

We both fondly recall the inter-factory sports competition days that British Celanese used to hold bi-annually (we think) at various factory venues in the 1950s.

A main event on these occasions would be the fire brigades from different factories – Coventry, Wolverhampton, Wrexham and Spondon – competing against each other.

The year I remember most was probably in the late 1950s when the sports day was held at Wolverhampton. On that occasion, a fireman, representing each factory, was fitted in turn with breathing apparatus and timed crawling through a smoke-filled transparent tunnel, over various obstacles, to retrieve a sack dummy from the far end.

We waited and waited for the return of one competitor from the tunnel. You couldn’t see him for the thick smoke inside. The organisers and audience soon realised that something was wrong when he didn’t return. Somone was quickly sent in to get him out and he was rushed off to hospital.

Even in a planned environment, it would appear that firemen put their lives at risk. Fortunately, on this occasion, we heard later that he was ok. Everyone went home that day acutely aware of the risks that firemen take in facing unforeseen hazards.

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