A PHOTOGRAPH of a major fire at the British Moulded Hose factory in Watford taken in 1961 by former Watford man Jim Bratton prompted Colin Franklin, of Newquay in Cornwall, to write in with recollections of working there and the day the fire broke out.

Colin writes: "I commenced working life there on December 18, 1955, three days before my 15th birthday, in the production/planning department. The idea was to settle me in for three days prior to the Christmas break, because I was naturally nervous.

"My immediate boss was George Richards, who lived in Garston, while the departmental manager was Mr Duncan, a true gentleman in my mind. He bought every member of his staff a Christmas present each year, and despite the fact that I had only just started, I was not left out. I earned the princely sum of £2-17s 6d per week.

"On the day of the fire June 21, 1961, I walked to my home in Gammons Lane at 12.30pm (a 20-minute walk). I had only been home about five minutes when a panic-stricken voice came from the back door, shouting to ask if I was OK. It was an auntie, who said that British Moulded Hose was on fire, though there had been no hint of it when I left work.

"By then, the pall of smoke was visible from my back garden, which was at the top of Gammons Lane, opposite Leaford Crescent.

"When I got back to work it was carnage, with fire engines all over the place. I remember it was a very hot day and, together with the heat of the fire, the firemen were only able to work in short shifts. Between shifts they were plied with refreshments by the ever reliable Salvation Army.

"After the fire was brought under control and the teams began to pull out, one fire appliance took residence for about a week to deal with sporadic outbreaks.

"As for the rest of us, we were supplied with Wellington boots (I still have mine to this day) and we all lent a hand in mopping-up operations, wading in molten rubber all around the building.

"One humourous aspect was that we had a new fire alarm system installed about that time, and we had taken part in several fire drills. When it came to the real thing, everyone was moaning about a drill being in our time and not the company's. As a result, there was no panic, as employees sauntered out of the canteen.

"Following the fire, a brand new plush office area was built adjacent to the main building, which was accessible by a covered walkway. I eventually left the company in January 1964, after more than eight happy years, and I often look back to my time there, even now, as everyone was so friendly."