Fire broke out on the evening of the 24 January, 1917 at the premises of George Miller, Ironmonger, in the High Street. Miss Cooper, the lady assistant, had closed the shop, locked the front doors and drawn the shutters. Whilst closing up the back of the premises the end of a lighted taper dropped onto the floor near to the oil engine and the floor was immediately alight. She called for help from the other assistant, Master Don Bugby, and they attempted to put out the flames. It soon became apparent that they could not do that, so Master Bugby ran to the front and unlocked the door and the shutters, then attempted to call the Fire Brigade. The call was put through but before he could give his message the fire broke through to the office and he had to escape through the window.
By this time, staff from Mr. Wheeler’s butcher’s shop were aware of the fire and they rushed into the back yard where they found Don Bugby and helped him into Mrs. Blunt’s shop where he was looked after.
In the meantime Miss Cooper was still inside the shop but Mr. Fred Webb managed to lift the shutters and she was able to escape. She was unaware that Don Bugby has escaped and appealed to the by-standers to help him, but she was soon assured that he was safe.
Mr. Wheeler’s shop, No. 12 High Street
Mr. Moody had succeeded in getting in touch with the Fire Brigade and firemen Payne and Whiting arrived very quickly with the hose cart and ladder truck. Other firemen arrived but the heat and smoke were so intense that the only way they could get near the blaze was by tying wet handkerchiefs over their mouths and working in relays of four minutes each. The firemen at the front of the building were further impeded by the hose being worked at the rear of the premises which drenched them in a few minutes. The force of the hose was so strong that one of the firemen was knocked over.
The work of the firemen was helped by Mr. Moody and Mr. Smith, from the shops opposite, putting powerful lamps at the front of their shops.
Mr. Moody’s shop on the left of the picture
A bowler with a ‘Moody’ label inside
The stock and fittings of the shop were destroyed but the brickwork and the roof remained in tact. The adjoining shops of Messrs. Whiting and Co., and Mr. Wheeler, butcher, were obviously in danger but were saved by the efforts of the firemen.
A postcard showing Whiting’s shop, No. 16 High Street,
with the ironmongers on the right of the picture, No. 14 High Street
The damage to Mr. Miller’s stock and premises was covered by insurance.
The crowds attracted by the fire were controlled by Inspector Osborne, Sergeant Brumby, Reserve-Constable Mantle, and members of the Rushden and Higham Ferrers special constabulary. It was also noticed that some men in khaki were lending a willing hand.
The Fire Brigade was under the command of Captain Fred Knight and Second-Officer G. R. Turner, and the men on duty were Engineer Claude Green and Firemen J. Sparrow, J. Whiting, L. Britchford, H. Payne, C. Timson, J. Wooding and A. Jaques.
Rushden Fire Brigade 1913
Following the fire it was learned that Fireman Whiting was suffering from a severe attack of pneumonia.
Mr. Miller, who had been trading from those premises since 1890, died in May 1918 and the business was taken over by H. P. Hodge.
A knife bearing the name George Miller, Rushden
