June 27, 1942, Winnipeg Tribune (source)
Keeping with my firefighting theme, (see my post on Winnipeg's worst fires and Winnipeg's fallen firefighters), here's the story of a remarkable group of Winnipeg firefighters. They volunteered to go to England during World War II to fight fires and perform rescue duties immediately following the Blitz.
It's also the story of Jack Coull who is believed to be the only Winnipeg firefighter to lose his life fighting a fire in another country.
September 4, 1941, Winnipeg Tribune
Dunnett presented his idea to Winnipeg Fire Chief Daniel Boulden, who gave him permission to take it directly to Premier John Bracken. The premier was so impressed, he is said to have called the minister of national defence about it while Dunnett was still in the room.
Initially, the idea appeared to stall until O. L. Lister, chief of the Vancouver Fire Department, kept it alive at the national level. It didn't political traction until Prime Minister King's 1941 trip to London when he declared that Canadian help was coming soon. An Order-in-Council was signed on March 3, 1942 to create the all-volunteer Corps of (Civilian) Canadian Firemen.
Active firefighters from across Canada were encouraged to sign up, though nobody was turned away. It's estimated that about 30% of the volunteers had no previous firefighting experience.
As they were civilians, members of the Corps did not get regular forces pay. Instead, they received a stipend of $1.30 per day, ($17.50 in 2012 dollars), from the Government for their dangerous work. In 1944, the feds provided them the same protection as other soldiers in that upon their return from active service they could claim their old job back.
October 18, 1941, Winnipeg Free Press
The first man nominated to head the Corps was Winnipeg Fire Chief Daniel Boulden. He had been chief since 1928 and earned a reputation as an efficient, tough, sometimes heavy-handed leader - just what the military needed to pull the Corps together in a short amount of time. The body's national advisory body unanimously approved his nomination on October 18, 1941.
Boulden's appointment was a feather in the cap for the city of Winnipeg and freeing him up became part of the city's contribution to the war effort. The Tribune wrote that "Winnipeg can spare chief Boulden because the need is greater over there than it is at home", (source).
It came as a surprise when Boulden suddenly resigned from the post on December 27, 1941. He had been found "not physically fit for service under overseas conditions" (Canadian Press, December 27, 1941.) Aside from carrying the wire story, no more details about his resignation or its causes were reported in the local media and days later he resumed his job as Winnipeg's fire chief.
Interestingly, the end of Boulden's civic career played out in a similar manner. Often clashing with council over fire department management issues, he found himself suspended and placed on sick leave on March 30, 1947 for an unnamed illness. Six months later he was dismissed by the city.
Gordon Huff
The next man chosen to head the Corps also had Winnipeg connections.
Gordon E. Huff was a chief of the Brantford, Ontario fire department, though since enlisting in 1940 had been a fire prevention officer in the RCAF's No.2 Training Command in Winnipeg. He and his wife lived at 42 Furby Street when his overseas appointment was announced.
I could not find the exact number or a roster of the Winnipeggers but it numbered around 30. This list is pieced together from a couple of dozen Free Press and Tribune articles that mentioned the Corps. Those with an * might not have been members of the WFD.
Dennett Arnold, 744 Winnipeg Avenue
Charles W. Beenham, 34 Ruby Street, a 15 year veteran
Reginald Beenham
Stanley Blackburn, 766 Winnipeg Avenue
William Bryce
W. "Red" Carr
Jack Coull, 110 Young Street, a 10 year veteran
Jack Coulter
Archie H. Grant
George Gray, 620 Bannerman Avenue, a 5 year veteran
Newton Green *
George Beresford Hood, 111 Furby Street, an 8 year veteran
John Robert Cook Legree, Furby Street, a 6 year veteran
H. J. MacDonald
Walter Maug *
William H Neill (leader)
Malcolm R Paterson, 175 Johnston Avenue, an 8 year veteran
Jeff Richardson
Alex Smith
The Corps of Canadian Firefighters fell under the umbrella of the British National Fire Service, though to avoid the operational difficulties of merging different training styles and having members of the same fire hall serving two different masters, the Canadians were kept together. They were broken into units of about 60 and took over six fire halls in Southampton, Portsmouth, Plymouth and Bristol.
At the opening of the Canadian headquarters in Plymouth the Duchess of Kent said ”...your patriotic spirit in coming here will not be forgotten by a grateful people” (source).
Source: Sheffield Libraries and Archives on Flickr
The corps enjoyed some initial media attention but that changed once they were deployed. The exact size of the force and their locations were considered a secret so as not to tip off the Germans as to what communities had extra fire and rescue resources.
The Corps arrived after the period known as "The Blitz" was over, (it lasted from September 1940 to May 1941), but German air raids were still a regular occurrence. In 1944, a new series of attacks began with new weapons called the V1 and V2 rockets, also known as "doodlebugs" or "buzz bombs", that caused great damage.
Top: Sr. Fireman John Stewart Coull (source)
Bottom: July 22, 1944, Winnipeg Free Press
On July 3, 1944 tragedy struck the Corps as Germans forces hammered the London area with V-1 rockets.
One strike killed 63 American servicemen and eight civilians in Chelsea. Another destroyed the Ashley Road Police Station. Yet another fell near Wimbledon and killed two firemen including Winnipeg's John Stewart "Jack" Coull.
On July 3, 1944 tragedy struck the Corps as Germans forces hammered the London area with V-1 rockets.
One strike killed 63 American servicemen and eight civilians in Chelsea. Another destroyed the Ashley Road Police Station. Yet another fell near Wimbledon and killed two firemen including Winnipeg's John Stewart "Jack" Coull.
Coull, 36, was born and raised in Lossiemouth, Scotland and in 1932 began his career with the Winnipeg Fire Department. The following year he married Erna Torgeresen who had come to Canada just two years before from her native Norway. They had a daughter named Joyce in 1938.
Coull enlisted with the Corps in May 1942 as his wife and child stayed at the Muskoka Apartments at 110 Young Street. Hi is buried in his birthplace at Lossiemouth Burial Ground.
A plaque was erected in London in 2003 dedicated to "Fireman J.S. Coull (Winnipeg) who died as a result of enemy action when a V1 flying bomb fell on part of Wildcroft Manor, adjacent to this site on 3rd July 1944."
Another Winnipegger, Robert Legree, was injured while in service with the Corps.
All of Legree's siblings, three brothers and one sister, were on active service during the Second World War. One brother was killed in action.
Robert recovered and married Adelaide Skowski in 1949. He died in 1977 but his brief obituary did not mention if he resumed his career as a fireman after the war.
November 2, 1944, Winnipeg Tribune
The air attacks on British cities tailed off in 1944 and it was decided that the Corps of Canadian Firefighters could come home. a large group participated in a farewell ceremony that included a march past of Canada House on Trafalgar Square on November 4, 1944 before departing.
In just over two years, the Corps of Canadian Firefighters had 422 members representing all nine (at the time) provinces and over 170 municipalities. It suffered eleven casualties including the deaths of three men: Fireman J.S. Coull (Winnipeg); Section Leader A. Lapierre (Montreal) and Section Leader L.E. Woodhead (Saskatoon). Three others were seriously wounded.
Source: Veterans Affairs Canada
A special Canadian Fire Fighters Canada and Overseas war service badge was distributed to members of the Corps in July 1945 , (as civilians, they were not entitled to receive or wear military honours.)
The men were also not entitled to Veterans' benefits. One of their immediate annoyances was that they were charged income tax on the money they earned whilst fighting overseas, something members of the military did not have to pay. Other military benefits they did not get were relocation credits, healthcare, disability, and pension contributions.
Members of the Corps had a great deal of support in newspaper editorials from across the country and from organizations such as the Royal Canadian Legion and ANAVETS. There was some action in Ottawa in 1945 and in 1947 to provide additional pay or benefits to the men but nothing came of them. Decades later they were still seeking recognition as Veterans.
Finally, in March 2000 the men became entitled to Veterans' benefits.
Related
- Corps of Canadian Firefighters Honoured in Hampshire UK Courage Magazine (Canada, vol 4, p 45)
- At War with Fire Courage Magazine(Canada, vol 3, p 27)
- Canadian Firefighters Overseas Canadian Fire Fighters Museum
- Canadian Corp of Firefighters in England During WWII (parts I - VIII) Firehouse 651
- The Canadian Corps of (Volunteer) Firefighters in World War II Keith Hart
- Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service commemorates WWII Canadian Firefighters News Release (2008)
Blitz Firefighting Multimedia
- Home Front - Blitz. Reel 5 British Pathe (video)
- Blitz firemen recall 1940 battle BBC (video)
- World War II People's War BBC
- Blitz World War II London Fire Journal blog
- Images narfire.org.uk (scroll to bottom)
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