Tiverton Fire Brigade Chief Officer's helmet, worn by former member of the Glamorgan Constabulary, Chief Constable Mervyn Beynon K.P.M., 1920s

Description

Tiverton Fire Brigade Chief Officer's helmet worn by Chief Constable Mervyn Beynon K.P.M. Beynon joined the Glamorgan Constabulary in 1914 and transferred to Hyde Borough in 1920. Later he transferred to Tiverton and held the ranks of Chief Constable and Chief Fire Officer simultaneously. Beynon's fire helmet was very similar to those worn by firemen in Cardiff and Swansea, each of whom had fire brigades run by the police until the middle of World War 2. The need for standardisation during the war years resulted in the formation of a National Fire Service in 1941.