Welcome
to the Massey Shaw's new web site! |
 |
|
A Short History Of The The Massey Shaw Fireboat The historic London Fireboat MASSEY SHAW is named after Sir Eyre Massey Shaw, founder and first Chief Officer of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade Her history began when the London County Council at a cost of £17,000 ordered her from J.Samuel White at Cowes, Isle of Wight. She was commissioned in London in July 1935.
Her first "shout" was in September that year at a huge fire at Colonial Wharf, Wapping... In 1940 she went to war as one of the Dunkirk 'Little Ships' (where she ferried over 600 soldiers to safety, despite mine fields and water only 3ft 9in deep, rather than fighting fires as her volunteer crew had expected). She was the first fire appliance to be fitted with wireless communication and her major role in fire fighting during the Blitz (when the water mains had been damaged) was to pump water to the shore based appliances. Other points of notoriety included her unexpected role as a secret meeting place for Herbert Morrison and Aneurin Bevan as they worked to set up the National Health Service! She was retired from service in 1971 (her last major "shouts" included a huge fire at Tate & Lyle at Silvertown and the steamship Jumna ablaze in the Royal Albert Dock). Sadly she was then abandoned - used as a walkway during dock rebuilding at St Katherine's Dock and it was even proposed that she be made a centrepiece in the middle of the ornamental lake in Thamesmead (then a major new development)!! In 1980 Philip Wray gathered together a group of people to form a Charitable Preservation Society, who negotiated a lease from the GLC (then owners) and set about restoring the Massey Shaw ... Over 60 years after her launch her two massive Gleniffer diesel engines and pumping equipment from Merryweathers in Greenwich are still in working order and giving displays at charitable events up and down the Thames (and beyond!) She was present at the Opening of the Thames barrier, and had the honour of escorting HM The Queen at the VJ Day Thames River Pageant and escorted HMY Britannia on her final visit to the Pool of London. The Massey Shaw returns to Dunkirk every 5 years with the remaining Dunkirk Little Ships and the last surviving member of her original volunteer crew RWJ "Dick" Helyer BEM is president of The Massey Shaw & Marine Vessels Preservation Society, which is a registered charity and depends entirely on support and donations from its members, sponsors and the public.
Restoration is an important and essential task to keep this famous vessel operational. Here we see Chas, one of the central core of volunteer workers preparing steamed timbers for fixing to the Massey.
|
||
|
©
we remind you that all text, images and sounds on this site are copyright The MSMVPS is a Registered Charity no.284970 Massey Shaw Marine Vessels Preservation
Trust works closely with the
Swiftstone Trust Site design/creation by hosting
by
|
||
