Real life mystery

Having studied pictures of firemen s helmets, I found that the type of helmets depicted here were in use between the years 1890 until 1930, quite a span. I wonder if this were not a formal announcement of the First World War having been declared, though the fire engine looks rather more elemental that that era would suggest.

I have found one fire helmet that is described on the web as worn by the Montgomery Fire Brigade from 1893, when the first fire appliance arrived in the town. Where is Montgomery? Scotland and the US? Perhaps this photograph is of a similar occasion in Penzance of the same time?

The Merryweather dates from 1890. It is my considered opinion that this is Mr Bolithos donation of the machine in 1895, everything else fits, costume, hats, band uniform, etc; and no military presence, nor civic dignitaries in their regalia, etc.... Besides, as I say above, Penzance had that machine until 1927. My grandfather operated it from 1906 onwards, and he also was in two silver bands, as well as being the policeman that he was, breaking his ankle in pursuit of a criminal.

If asked, I would have said Montgomery was in Wales ....

Quite right, Treeve. Montgomeryshire is in Wales. I was thinking of the Scottish clan of Montgomery and presumed it must have a town or village of that name in Scotland for its basis. I haven t found one yet! There is also a town by that name in Maryland, it seems.

That is why I rely on so many books at home - three atlases of various dates, and two gazeteers, two sets of encyclopaedias, as well as the rest; I rarely have to look anything up on the internet.

However, if you do not already have all those books at your disposal, it s a lot cheaper to access the Web and less of a problem finding the right book! No, seriously, I do agree with you on the whole, Treeve, but I haven t a book on Firemen s helmets, for example.

Quite true, if a person has not collected a series of books over many years, then it is hard; however, searching on the net can be fractious because of similarities in naming or searches (looking for other references on some ships can provide some alarming results); it is only too easy to get the wrong answers from some sites that have copied from sites in error; if searching on the net, go forth in the firm knowledge of already formulated frameworks from older and well written publications. I do look up to check on some facts, or to add to what I already have, but there is nothing to beat having seen the original documents and having read the contemporary accounts first hand.

No, I go along with that. There is far more room for error and its perpetuation by relying on the Web as a source and therefore the work of enthusiasts rather than experts in the field in which you make your search..

There are a lot of experts out there, but, beware of fancy sites that are more orientated towards pretty buttons, java moving pictures and poor spelling and grammar, it all looks very pretty but has no substance. I know where most of the good sites are over the last 12 years of surfing.