[Kingsbury/Doncaster: Buoyant Upholstery Fire and Incendiary Bomb]

1940

00:04:18

Black & White / Silent

Amateur

Home Movie

Amateur film shot at Sandiacre in Derbyshire of fire fighters tackling a factory blaze (18 January 1940) and a demonstration by the ARP on how to extinguish an incendiary bomb and a fire.

The film begins with shots of a fire brigade outside the premises of The Buoyant Upholstery Company on Bridge Street at Sandiacre in Derbyshire. They are training their hoses on the building, which is well ablaze. Next we cut to a crowd standing outside looking at a small burning object lying on snow covered ground (a phosphorus incendiary device). A man approaches and tips sand on the burning object with a long-handled shovel; he removes the sand to reveal that the device is still burning; he then transfers it to his bucket, shovels sand on top and carries it away. We then see the same crowd looking at a bonfire which has been lit. A man lies on the ground pointing a small hose at the bonfire whilst a second man pumps water from a bucket using stirrup pump.

No Credits Specified

No Production Companies Specified

The fire at the Buoyant Upholstery Co Ltd was initially covered by the Stapleford and Sandiacre News on 20 Jan 1940, in which Ivan Kingsbury is reported to have said, "I was in Bridge Street at 1:15 pm and all seemed well. Fifteen minutes later the whole place had gone up in flames." The report also states that the fire was attended by six fire fighting units and seven engines from the firm's own brigade, the Stapleford and Beeston Brigades, a detachment from the Nottingham City Brigade, the Derby Borough Brigade and men and equipment from Messrs Crossley Premier, Sandiacre. On 27 Jan 1940 the newspaper reported that two men had died in the blaze. A report on the inquest into the deaths appeared on 3 Feb 1940 when it was suggested that the fire started in a store room containing "horse hair, cotton liners and other upholstery material".

Disasters, Safety