In February 1936 Rushden Urban District Council received a letter of resignation from Mr. R. F. Knight, Chief Officer of Rushden Fire Brigade. In the letter he said his only reason for resigning was that he was leaving Rushden. He joined the Brigade in 1913 and became Chief Officer in 1919 on the resignation of his father Mr. Fred Knight. Fred Knight had been Chief Officer for 35 years, so between them they had 52 years’ service as Chief Officer.
Rushden Fire Brigade was founded in1877 with twelve men, with William Foskett as captain and Mr. Fred Knight as second officer. Money was raised by public subscription to buy a second-hand manual fire engine, made by Messrs. Shand, Mason and Co., London. After seven years Mr. Foskett resigned and Fred Knight became captain.
Mr William Foskett
Mr Fred Knight
When you realise what little equipment they had you wonder how they managed to deal with fires such as the one at John Cave’s factory in 1901. They had help from the Higham Ferrers, Irthlingborough and Wellingborough Brigades but their equipment would have been the same, and water was in such short supply that Kettering and Northampton Brigades decided there was no point in them coming.
Rushden Firemen in the ruins of John Cave’s factory
By the time Robert Knight joined the brigade in 1913 the equipment consisted of the hose cart and two steam engines. The first steam engine was purchased in 1907 and was described as being “a light but powerful machine of the maker’s patent ‘double vertical’ variable expansion type, as designed for the London Fire Brigade.”
The steam fire engine and hose cart
The second steam engine was purchased in 1911 from the Northampton Town Council who had recently bought a motor fire-engine, with petrol pumps, and so were able to part with a steam engine with a pumping capacity of 200 or 250 gallons per minute.
By May 1927 demonstrations had been held with two makes of motor fire-pumps and the Brigade recommended that the ‘Dennis’ be purchased, at the price of £810 net. Other equipment would be required at a cost of £78 2s. The Council agreed to this and applied to the Ministry of Health for sanction to borrow £920 for the purchase of the motor-pump.
The ‘Dennis’ motor Fire Engine
The instruction book for the ‘Dennis’ Fire Engine
During Robert Knight’s term in the fire Brigade there had been an average of from 13 to 20 fires a year, including numerous factory fires and a big blaze at Odell Castle. One of the best “saves” was at Hinwick Hall, and another was at the National Provincial Bank premises in High-street, Rushden. In a fire at Stanwick a few years previously the Brigade used three-quarters of a mile of hose.
Mr. Robert Knight who was leaving the Brigade to become landlord of the Angel Hotel, Wellingborough
The Angel Hotel, Silver Street, Wellingborough
On 1 April 1936 at a ceremony held at the Fire Station Mr. Knight was presented with an oak clock which was inscribed :- “Presented to Chief Officer R. F. Knight by the members of the Rushden Fire Brigade in appreciation of his service, 1912-1936.”
Mr. Claude Green presented the clock and said he traced the progress of the Brigade from the days when the old manual was housed in Butcher Smith’s yard and recalled that in the old days, when horses were used, they thought nothing of standing in the station from half to three quarters of an hour before they got away to a fire.
The new Chief Officer was Mr. A. P. Timpson.