Backchat is worried about getting his fingers burnt, but here goes. Insurance enthusiasts out there – the sort who collect fire marks – might be interested in this.
Backchat has a review copy of True Hero, the life and times of James Braidwood, Father of the British Fire Service.
It is, Backchat has to admit, a fascinating account of how the modern fire service developed from the old insurance company brigades.
Braidwood made a splash in Edinburgh before being called to London to establish a London fire service by (in a portent to later mergers) combining the likes of Royal, Sun and Alliance's fire brigades along with another 37 company brigades that included Commercial Union and Norwich Union.
The book contains some gems, such as the role of the new fire service in stopping wealthy families sending boys up blazing chimneys.
Braidwood died tragically when a wall collapsed on him as he fought a fire in London's Tooley Street. So popular was he that his funeral procession stretched for a mile and half with thousands lining the street to pay their respects.
Anybody wanting this as a stocking filler should contact Backchat by phone, fax or by email to backchat@instimes.co.uk. The first one in gets the copy. Anyone else wanting a copy should contact Braidwood Books, 216 main Road, Gidea Park, Romford Essex RM2 5JD. The book is priced £16.95.
