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The Log is nearly 100 yrs old and its condition is not great. It is carefully locked away in my office.

I am not certain who the clerk is, the writing is mostly the same throughout. The comments on the August 18th 1908 fire concerning the Blacksmiths Shop at Hurstbourne Tarrant , contains a comment on the layout suggesting that another may have drafted it for inclusion in a different way to normal. Certainly the senior officer at that fire was not the Captain but the Sub Captain. The clerk may well have been a lady because it continues in the same hand during the early war years.

The record is contemporaneous with the events it describes. I have displayed it here in its original form. Attempts at making it more legible by typing would I suspect destroy it’s impact and cast doubts on it's authenticity. I have retained and displayed both imperial weights and imperial english currency, and the words and spelling are original. I am aware of the international distribution of the web and have chosen simply to draw your attention to the availability of the conversion tables, on the web and similar reference books

When presenting the logs records I have publish all the incidents, drills and maintenance, because they are indicative of stations life. The ranks I've retained in keeping with that era However in today's service 'Firemen' are now 'Firefighters' and both male and female, they serve invariably as a crew, both do much the same job. The presentation of bills to the insurance company was a feature of fires in this era and as you will see their were delays in payment. Some folks were not insured and where the fire was chargeable the bill was sent to the owner. Within the town boundaries they may not have had to pay, having paid their rates instead. In other parts the council processed claims against the occupier who may pass then on to the insurance company or to the owner direct.

Many of today's fire fighters both wholetime and part time will recognize the patterns it illustrates in particular the unpredictability of events and the efforts made to keep the station up to strength. They will also be impressed with the organisation and staff of all ranks.

Publishing these will also keep the extent of training and the names of serving personnel to the forefront. This will also reflect on the effect it has on home life.

The payments itemised may be of interest to researchers as well as illustrating the occasions when the public helped and were paid for their help. The name of the 'person' calling the firemen to the station for a fire has not been recorded. Frequently it was a lad with a bugle and he did not became redundant when the call bells were installed and commissioned as the brigade members may have been away from the house. Even then there were occasional problems as the log records.

I thought it important that I record all the details as it is also illustrates the events, conditions and equipment used. It takes us back to a time when records were just as important as today's but were manual not computerised. It will also help those who like my family have an interest in genealogy.

I agreed to try my skills on the web and laid out the first four years 1908-1911, I was amazed at the response from all over the english speaking world now, I have re written the period from 1908 to 1916 still maintained the originality of the log and every entry is a faithful copy of the original.

Some incidents involve legal and court proceedings including names and addresses I worried about naming individuals but reasoned that the incidents are 90-100 years ago and perhaps those of similar names will use them for genealogical purposes. They can all be found in archived material available at certain public archive offices such as libraries where they are available for personal research. The staff of these sites and sources of material are ever willing to help those who seek information, both photographic and news prints and much more besides.

Since the subject is Andover in the county of Hampshire England, I used the Andover Public Library, The Hampshire County Archive Offices and Southampton Library for my research. These are mostly modern buildings but the sources vary from town to town, I have always found the staff to be very helpful. Most town and cities have similar facilities. It is as well to contact them first to see what material they have and to ensure that the equipment will be available on the day of your visit for research. In most venues you can book time to use the equipment and they will show you how to get started.

I also located another report which revealed another major fire again in August 1908 but this time in Winchester when the Brewery caught fire and was severely damaged. Unfortunately the Winchester Fire Brigade's equipment had been turned out to fire at Sutton Scotney eight miles away 'Against the City Councils rules' according to the Andover Advertiser. Consequentially the Brigade was not available for the brewery fire and damage was severe. They called the 10 spare firemen who had been left behind at the fire station to the fire, but they were without an engine because the Brigades Manual Engine had been borrowed by the City Surveyor for drainage work. Winchester's Colleges and the Army Barracks filled the gap and provided engines and firemen who fought the fire with the remaining Winchester firemen but of course there would have been confusion and delay. I have not included this report in this publication.

Regarding research many of you will have their own computers and will find the subject of their choice online. Many public libraries also have terminals that are available for public use some are free some have a charging system. Enquiries are not limited to this subject but be assured that what ever information you seek it is available somewhere if only you can find it. It should also be recognized that all you see is not necessarily authoritative but you have a choice to believe it or not. So bear this in mind.

Part of this history is particularly significant involving as it includes the outbreak of the 1914 - 1918 War. It does not reveal the fate of those recorded as joining up, presumably only because there was no information available to the author at that time.The death toll was very high in that conflict and felt within many families and organizations, so I feel sure it would have been in this brigade community. The records of military personnel recently released on archive may provide more information, I have yet to explore.