Buoyed up

An illustrated lecture on the history of fire boats used by the London Fire Brigade.

Fire boats have played a crucial part in the Brigade, from steam engines mounted onto a barge in the nineteenth century to the current ultra modern vessels, Fireflash and Firedart, that combine the role of fire boat with that of a fast rescue craft.

The lecture will particularly focus on the Massey Shaw fireboat, commissioned in 1935 and was one of the most powerful fire boats used by the Brigade.

The Massey Shaw was used throughout the Second World War and she was decommissioned in 1970.

The Massey Shaw was also one of the little ships that travelled to Dunkirk and rescued hundreds of soldiers and sailors.

The lecture will be led by one of the museum's experts who is also a member of the Massey Shaw Education Trust, and has been involved in the restoration of the Massey Shaw fire boat into a working museum.

The lecture will be held in the grand setting of Winchester House, residence of the first chief officer of the London Fire Brigade (LFB), Captain Shaw, now home to the LFB Museum.

The talk will be followed by refreshments and an opportunity to visit the museum.