ABSTRACT
John ignored the nay-sayers and doubters and began recruiting auxiliary firefighters into the Fire Brigades Union. By May 1940, FBU membership had increased fifteen-fold. The nine-month phoney war had given a new band of organizers the time to establish the arrangements for the Union’s separate AFS section and to start campaigning to improve their conditions of service. Owing to John’s irregular and prompt decision and due to his skills in organizing and inspiring staff and members, the Fire Brigades Union may have done more to create a united, efficient fire service than government action. By the start of the Blitz (September 1940), regular and auxiliary firefighters had a shared FBU identity for them to fight fires together.
