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To commemorate the Firefighter memorial, two replica pieces have been commissioned for sale by the Sports & Social Club, one reproduced in bronze, the other in coal. The 12" bronze replica is an highly collectable limited edition piece of impressive quality, of which only 1000 will be produced before the mould is destroyed. Each piece is hallmark stamped with it's own limited edition number and certificate of authenticity.
A little about the history of the Memorial...
During the First World War the Low Moor Chemical works in the Odsal area of Bradford was renamed the Low Moor Munitions Company. The Company was one of the largest producers of the explosive picric acid (lyddite) in the country.
On 21 August 1916 a series of explosions led to the attendance of the Fire Brigade. Initially one appliance from Odsal and two from Bradford attended with a total complement of 18 officers and men. Within half an hour of the call being received 6 firemen had been killed and the other 12 were in hospital, some seriously injured.
Just after the appliances arrived there was a tremendous explosion which blew the men from their vehicles killing or injuring all of them. This was followed by a large fire engulfing many surrounding buildings. One of the fire appliances “Heyhurst”, was completely destroyed and only a mass of twisted metal remained. Forty people lost their lives including a police constable, and a railway fireman in a nearby goods yard.
A few days later a large civic funeral, attended by thousands was held for the 6 firemen.
Due to the secrecy surrounding the war effort, and particularly the production of munitions, the disaster did not attract the publicity such an incident would have done in peacetime. Belgian spies were originally blamed for the explosions but it was finally resolved that the danger of working with picric acid without proper safeguards was the real cause
Gold medals were struck for all members of the Bradford Fire Brigade and relatives of the deceased. Various rolls of honour and memorial boards were also produced. Finally on 4 March 1924, a 7 metre high memorial was placed over the communal grave, in the Scholemoor Cemetery.
Back in 1999 Station Officer Butterworth noticed, as he walked his dog in the cemetery, that the memorial had not only become subject to the usual vandalism, but somebody had stolen much of the granite sculptured balustrade surrounding the monument that marks the grave for the 6 Firefighters killed in the disaster. After visits to the site it was decided by the Brigade Sports & Social Club that estimates should be obtained for refurbishing the memorial. The estimates showed that costs would be in the region of £20,000 mainly due to the great expense of replacing the balustrade with the original material, Aberdeen granite. Further discussions were held and it was felt that the large expenditure would be wasted if further vandalism ensued.
At this stage the Chief Fire Officer boldly suggested that it would be a wonderful opportunity to re site the Memorial in a prominent position at Fire Service Headquarters
After ascertaining that there were no objections from the surviving relatives of those commemorated, the Fire Service spirit then kicked into action, fund raising commenced, with Deputy Chief Fire Officer Kevin Arbuthnot overseeing a dedicated team of employees and councillors who deserve tremendous credit for their efforts. The terrible events in America on 11 September 2001 when 343 Firefighters lost their lives gave the project added impetus. A sum in the region of £25000 was required to completely re-site and refurbish the memorial and also to carry out renovations on the actual graves which remain in Scholemoor Cemetery. After tremendous fund raising efforts and sponsorship from many local businesses, the statue now stands proud at Fire Service Headquarters which provides a reflective and attractive setting for the monument.