Green Goddess army ‘fire engines’ – called upon during firefighter strikes – to go under the hammer in Deeside

Two 1950’s military firefighting vehicles – which were called into service when firefighters went on strike in 2002 and 2003 – will go under the auctioneer’s hammer in Deeside this evening, Monday, August 8.

The two Bedford RLHZ vehicles, or to give them their pet name, Green Goddesses form part of a private collection seized on behalf of bailiffs.

The Green Goddess machines were not primarily fire engines despite being used as such during firefighter strikes, they are more correctly titled “self-propelled pumps.”

Green Goddesses were built from 1953-56 and were designed for use by the newly reformed Auxiliary Fire Service (AFS) in the face of a perceived nuclear threat from the Soviet Union.

“Clean water was deemed to be one of the first things required for a post-apocalyptic world. The Green Goddess was designed to pump water into cities and could even relay to each other over several miles if required. Extinguishing fires was never its primary objective,” according to footmanjames.co.uk.

The collection also includes a Bedford RL British military lorry from the mid-1950s which was released by the Ministry of Defence in 1988.

Also going under the hammer at Clwyd Auction House in Ewloe is a 1963 Austin FGK40 flatbed truck, all vehicles appear to be in excellent condition.

Writing about the Green Goddess appliances ahead of a Fire Brigades Union strike in 2002 Simon Jeffery said they had “no radio, a top speed of 35mph and 1950s firefighting technology are just some of the features.”

“The green goddesses, the oldest working fire engines in the western world, were built in 1953 to provide a simple fire engine that could be used by untrained civilians in the wake of a nuclear war.”

“The six-strong crew inside them is surrounded by timber and plywood compared to the hardened steel cabs in modern fire engines.”

“There are just two seats for a driver and another crew member. The rest sit on a forward-facing wooden bench at the back of the cab.”

“The only ladder has a 35ft reach and is incapable of reaching any height above the second floor of a house or office.”

The Green Goddesses were retained by the UK government until 2004 as part of a reserve fleet.

Arrangements were put in place in 2005 for military crews to have access to a reserve of more modern red fire engines in the event of future industrial action.

More about the auction can be found in Clwyd Auction’s catalogue (PDF) which can be found here: https://www.clwydauctions.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/august-business-cat.pdf