Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

Sir Aylmer Newton George Firebrace, (17 June 1886 – 8 June 1972) was a British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

officer and

fire chief A fire chief or fire commissioner is a top executive rank or commanding officer in a fire department. Nomenclature Various official English-language titles for a fire chief include ''fire chief'', ''chief fire officer'' and ''fire commissioner' ...

. As a Royal Navy officer, he saw active service in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and participated in the

Battle of Jutland The Battle of Jutland (german: Skagerrakschlacht, the Battle of the Skagerrak) was a naval battle fought between Britain's Royal Navy Grand Fleet, under Admiral John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, Sir John Jellicoe, and the Imperial German Navy ...

. Following the war, he joined the

London Fire Brigade The London Fire Brigade (LFB) is the fire and rescue service for London, the capital of the United Kingdom. It was formed by the Metropolitan Fire Brigade Act 1865, under the leadership of superintendent Eyre Massey Shaw. It has 5,992staff, in ...

and rose to become its Commander. With the creation of the National Fire Service, he became the first and only person to head firefighting across the whole of Great Britain.

Early life

Firebrace was born on 17 June 1886 in

Southsea Southsea is a seaside resort and a geographic area of Portsmouth, Portsea Island in England. Southsea is located 1.8 miles (2.8 km) to the south of Portsmouth's inner city-centre. Southsea is not a separate town as all of Portsea Island's s ...

, Hampshire, England. He was the son of George Firebrace, lieutenant colonel in the Royal Artillery, and his wife Agnes Adela Firebrace (born Porter). His younger brother was the astrologer Brigadier

Roy Firebrace Brigadier Roy Charles Whitworth George Firebrace (16 August 1889 – 10 November 1974) was a British Army officer, who served as Head of the British Military Mission in Moscow during the Second World War. He was also a sidereal astrologer, f ...

. He was educated at HMS ''Britannia''.

Military career

Following his education on HMS ''Britannia'', he was in May 1902 appointed as a

Naval Cadet Officer Cadet is a rank held by military cadets during their training to become commissioned officers. In the United Kingdom, the rank is also used by members of University Royal Naval Units, University Officer Training Corps and University A ...

on board the

battleship A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type of ...

HMS ''Bulwark'', flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet On 30 July 1905, he was confirmed in the rank of

sub-lieutenant Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces. In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second high ...

. He was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

on 30 July 1906. In 1912, he was serving on the HMS ''Indomitable''. He saw active service during

. He served on HMS ''Centurion'', a ''King George V''-class battleship, during the

in 1916, as a

gunnery officer The gunnery officer of a warship was the officer responsible for operation and maintenance of the ship's guns and for safe storage of the ship's ammunition inventory. Background The gunnery officer was usually the line officer next in rank to the ...

. In 1917, he was promoted to

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

. He ended the war as commander of the

Chatham Dockyard Chatham Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent. Established in Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham (at its most extensive, in the early 20th century, ...

gunnery school. He left the Royal Navy on 31 August 1919 at the age of 33.

Fire service career

Following the end of

, there were limited opportunities in the peacetime Royal Navy. In 1919, Firebrace applied to the

originally for the post of chief officer but instead was appointed to the lower position of principal officer. He was promoted to divisional officer in 1920 and senior divisional officer in 1933. He recruited John Horner in 1933 and set him on the road to fast track promotion. He would go on to become the general secretary of the

Fire Brigades Union The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) is a trade union in the United Kingdom for wholetime firefighters (including officers up to chief fire officer / firemaster), retained firefighters and emergency control room staff. History The first recorded ins ...

. He was promoted to deputy chief in 1936, and finally to chief officer in June 1938. In January 1939, he was seconded to the Home Office to prepare plans to co-ordinate the London Region's sixty-six fire brigades. On the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he was appointed regional fire officer, London Region. This posting was purely administrative and prevented him from operationally commanding the region's fire brigades. He was once more seconded to the Home Office in May 1941;

The Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

had demonstrated that the localised system of fire brigades handicapped an otherwise efficient fire service and needed to be remedied. In August 1941, the National Fire Service was created and replaced the existing 1600 British fire brigades. He was appointed to the dual-hatted roles of Chief of the Fire Staff and Inspector-in-Chief of the Fire Services; becoming the first and only person to head all fire fighting in Great Britain. At peak strength, he led approximately 370,000 personnel. These included 80,000 women, as he was a strong supporter of the employment of women. He retired on 28 February 1947, after which the National Fire Service was split up into brigades under local authority control.

Later life

In his retirement, Firebrace occupied himself with writing. His autobiography titled ''Fire Service Memories'' was published in 1948. He then concerned himself with Christian theology writing three books; ''If thou criest after Knowledge'' in 1952, ''Light on the Gospel of John'' in 1957 and ''The Revelation to John'' in 1963. He died on 8 June 1972 at St George's Hospital,

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

, London.

Personal life

On 26 October 1912, Firebrace married Dorothy Vernon Grey, daughter of civil engineer Douglas Grey. Together they had a son and a daughter. His wife predeceased him, dying in 1952.

Honours

In 1918, he was awarded the Bronze Medal by the

Royal Humane Society The Royal Humane Society is a British charity which promotes lifesaving intervention. It was founded in England in 1774 as the ''Society for the Recovery of Persons Apparently Drowned'', for the purpose of rendering first aid in cases of near dro ...

. This medal is "awarded to people who have put their own lives at great risk to save or attempt to save someone else". He was awarded the

King's Police Medal The King's Police Medal (KPM) is awarded to police in the United Kingdom for gallantry or distinguished service. It was also formerly awarded within the wider British Empire, including Commonwealth countries, most of which now have their own hono ...

"for Distinguished Service" in the 1938 New Year Honours. In the

1941 New Year Honours The 1941 New Year Honours were appointments by King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the United Kingdom and British Empire. They were announced on 31 December 1940.United Kingdom and Britis ...

, Firebrace was appointed

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(CBE). On 24 December 1941, he was appointed Officer of the Venerable Order of Saint John (OStJ). In the 1945 New Year Honours, it was announced that he was to be knighted as

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...

. On 13 February 1945, he was knighted at

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of Ind ...

. He was appointed Commander of the Order of St. Olav by the King of Norway "in recognition of services during the war".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Firebrace, Aylmer 1886 births 1972 deaths Knights Bachelor Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Royal Navy officers of World War I London Fire Brigade personnel Graduates of Britannia Royal Naval College Officers of the Order of St John English recipients of the Queen's Police Medal People from Southsea