The DENNIS fire engine and……..

Today’s my very first attempt at writing a Posting with the new Block Editor……… infuriating, my take is WordPress can shove it where ‘the Sun doesn’t shine!’ (I’m joking) 😀

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  Read my future posts and you’ll see a lot more of this ‘gorgeous old lady’

So what’s the reason for today’s blog Andrew after being away such a long time? (Perhaps not one for my female readers then again that is sexist of me.)

Truth be told after ten weeks living in covid-19 lock down isolation I was very close to suffering a mental breakdown, I could feel all will to live draining out of me, I’m not joking for effect because depression isn’t funny and what’s more I’ve been missing work badly having been furloughed because I’m unable to work from home, bored and inactive occaisionally masturbating in place of sex with women, it slowly dawned on me I was spending tooo much time surfing the internet suffice to say I needed a PROJECT!

So I built myself a compact workshop in my spare bedroom, purchased a new pillar drill to compliment my aged scroll-saw and set to work designing and making a scale model of the DENNIS F8 fire engine, a British icon and aesthetically mesmerising. I love the body lines, window shapes with it’s distinctive headlights and unforgetable front end, so I purchased a sheet of 6mm plywood online and set to work using my hands………… as an aside, on-line shopping is a blessing, how would we have coped in this crisis without digital shopping?

We’d have all gone loopy!

A little history facts and trivia before I reveal my unfinished wooden model fire engine……. you’ll have to wait till ‘tomorrowish’ btw never ceases to amaze be that people have liked and commented my old postings from over the past 2 years, that’s what keeps me going 🙂 .

• Model: The ‘DENNIS F8’ fire engine
• Manufacturer: Dennis Brothers Limited
• Factory: Guildford in England
• Date: 1950-55
• Engine: Rolls Royce
• Exported: To the British Empire

Sadly the last Dennis fire engine left the Guildford factory in 2007, yes they are alas long gone having been making fire engines for just over 100 years, produced army vehicles during 2 world wars and yet another great British icon consigned to the history books along with so many others, makes be want to literally cry but that’s another story.

They built the F8 after the war and similar to most manufacturers Dennis suffered from a shortage of materials and skilled labour not forgetting Britain was bankrupt. So they went back to basics fabricating a steel chasis then dropping a wooden (coachbuilt) body on top and bolting the two together, with no independent suspension they reverted to leaf springs from Cowboy Stagecoach days, the result was a beautiful vehicle that quite literally shock the fillings loose from the firemen crew, however I’ll never deride the F8 and Dennis Brothers made over a thousand selling them to countries across the Empire from Canada to Singapore.

A few more photographs for you,

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  Photo taken in the East End of London 1952? (A stunning image)

To be continued………

A. Shepherdson 2020