An Cosantóir

www.military.ie THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE | 27 would stick: Green Goddess. Ironically, the shade had first been introduced, in Ireland, in 1903. At that time, motor racing was illegal in Britain so the renowned Gordon Bennett Cup was held on the 'Athy Circuit' in July of that year. Centred on Athy, the circuit passed through counties Kildare, Laois, and Carlow. The first international motor race run on a closed circuit, it was the first time that regulations allocated national colours to the competing cars. As a tribute to their hosts, the Brit- ish team painted their cars in what they perceived to be the colour of the 'Emerald Isle'. Henceforth, the shade was known as 'British Racing Green'. The Emergency Self-Propelled Pump to give it its official designation - the Green Goddess - went into production in 1953 and continued until 1956. Based on the Bedford military truck, it came in two marques: two-wheel drive (4x2) known as the Bed- ford SHZ, and four-wheel drive (4x4) (Bedford RLHZ). The type favoured by the Irish authorities was the latter. With a degree of cross-country mobility, tests indicated it could climb a 45 o slope. The prime mover was the standard Bedford six-cylinder 110 horsepower petrol engine. Weighing in at almost 8 ½ tons, it was fitted with a Sigmund single-stage, rear-mounted main pump capable of delivering some 4,100 litres of water (900 gpm) per minute. In addition, each ap- pliance carried a supplementary Coventry Climax portable pump stowed in a side locker, capable of an extra 1,600 litres per minute (350 gpm). A 300-gallon water tank fed small diameter hosereels on either side of the appliance to allow an immediate attack on in- cipient fires. The appliance carried 1,600 feet of delivery hose and suction hoses for the two pumps. An array of basic gear and tools was provided, while 35ft and 15ft aluminium ladders were stowed on the roof. A large number of coach builders was engaged in pro- ducing the bodies of the vehicles including Commer, Harrington, Hoskins, Papworth, Paxton, etc. All worked from a standard design incorporating steel over an ash frame. The Green Goddess was a product of its time, designed with a very specific task in mind. Devoid of all creature-comforts, it had no power-steering, no radio, no cutting equipment, no breathing apparatus, and, on the Irish appliances, no foam-making equip- ment. Relatively slow, with a maximum speed of some 105 km/h (65 mph), a comfortable cruising speed was indicated at 72 km/h (45 mph). And it was a notorious gas-guzzler: fuel consumption was between 8 and 10 miles per gallon depending on driving style. The lack of baffles in the hosereel water tank led to compromised road stability. Mechanically, however, it was robust In all, thirty-seven Green Goddesses were purchased from Britain at a starting cost of some £4,500 each. The first batch of ten (AZC 754 – AZC 763) arrived in Ireland in the summer of 1962 and were handed over to local authorities by the Minister for Defence, Mr Gerald Bartley, TD, at a ceremony at Ratra House on 28 June. The large parade of AFS members was under the command of Capt. T. P. O'Brien, BE, Chief Officer, Dublin Fire Brigade. While, thankfully, never put to the ultimate test for which they had been conceived, in the coming years they would prove their worth, time and again, at emergencies in support of the regular fire and emergency services. The arrival of a Green Goddess with its powerful pump, capable of delivering four tons of water per minute, was often a welcome sight on a fire ground at a time when many Irish brigades were equipped with fire appliances that had about half its pump- ing capacity. Deployment at such diverse duties as flood relief (their high ground clearance proved an exceptional asset) and supplying water to communities in time of need, were other missions as- signed as the need arose. Incidents attended by Green Goddesses include major fires in Cork in 1963 and 1965 (Sutton's, South Mall, and Scott's, MacCur- tain St) also, in 1965, Dublin's CIÉ Goods Depot, at North Wall, and at the Monaghan bombing outrage in 1974 in which seven people lost their lives (a further twenty-seven were killed in Dublin). Following the decision of the British Government in 1968 to abol- ish the Civil Defence Corps and AFS, over 1,000 Green Goddesses were 'mothballed' and held in reserve in huge temperature and humidity-controlled warehouses, being eventually sold off, seeing service with fire brigades in places as diverse as Africa, Australia, Cyprus, New Zealand, Iceland, and the Caribbean. In the interim, Civil Defence in Ireland has gone from strength to strength, albeit with a new focus and mission statement far re- moved from its old 'Cold War' mandate. The Green Goddesses were superseded by Dodge, Bedford and Dennis fire appliances for AFS training. Dublin AFS volunteers must be commended for the Goddess examples they maintain in pristine order for ceremo- nial purposes. One of the more unusual aspects of the period was the rather inspired decision of Comdt. J. G. O'Kelly, BE (Chief Officer, Cork Fire Brigade) to name the city's two Goddesses after the legend- ary queens of Celtic mythology, Ana (AZC 756) and Morrigu (NZH 6), the latter regarded as the 'Great Goddess' by the ancients. The names, which are associated in Irish folklore with water and deluge, were emblazoned in Gaelic script along the sides of the appliances – in flagrant breach, it has to be acknowledged, of strict Depart- ment of Defence protocols against such customisation! The major fire at Sutton's Hardware, South Mall, Cork, on 29th November 1963. The Cork AFS Green Goddess played a significant part in subduing the fire. Coventry Climax portable pump stowed in a side-locker. It can deliver 350 gallons of water per minute.

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