Retired Firefighters & Fire Service Personnel

www.ex-fire.co.uk

Chick seems to think that some of you may be interested in where I have been and what I am doing now, I can’t imagine why, but here goes.

 

I joined Hertfordshire Fire and Ambulance Brigade in April 1962, initially stationed at Watford. I had various postings and out duties in that county all of which were great fun to a young man.  In late 1964 I moved house to Northampton and transferred to the Northampton County Borough Fire Brigade where I made some very good friends.

 

In 1973, as some of you will remember, the old Borough Fire Brigade was taken over by the then Northamptonshire Fire Brigade; after which I found myself in brigade Headquarters, followed by postings to each of the 2 divisional headquarters for various periods, before returning to HQ.   In 1989, a routine medical determined that my eyesight was such that I could not see without specs’.   So enforced retirement!

 

I subsequently took a post with a District Council where I became their “Licensing Officer”, with emergency planning responsibilities.  After 15 years of that and a messy divorce, I decided to finally retire to France, where I now spend most of my time in an old farmhouse on the Normandy/Mayenne border in northern France.

 

My partner, Anne, is officially resident in England and I am here, which means a lot of channel crossings for both of us.  We are part of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel rescue group and our respective houses seem to be full of dogs.  We have had as many as eight and as few as five at any one time.  We also have two horses (one is a rescue) and, as I type this, there is yet another sick horse in my field and the owners have not asked anything about him in the last month or so!

 

My vegetable garden is very productive and gives me great pleasure and amuses my French neighbours because I share my strange English beans and things with them.

 

Anne and I were very keen on competitive carriage driving and the horse and carriage are here, but there is nowhere to compete and it is not “coming together” as our rescued Trotteur Franchais cannot get used to English harness.

 

Sailing is now a thing of the past as is clay shooting, although there is an abundance of deer and boar around here and all of my guns are here now.

 

Oh well - I have fallen into the French way of life (much to the annoyance of Anne) and enjoy the ambience francais.

Tony Lane  

Anyone remember me, ex R.N. Based at Carlton the Nottingham Central between 1971 and 1975.

 

Went to South Africa end of 1975 spent 22 years in S.A. Brigades.

 

Started own business ‘Freelance Fire’ and imported ex U.K. Brigade vehicles into S.A.

 

Returned to U.K. 2004 now sub-postmaster Kingsbury Post Office with wife Diane.