On Monday, August 11th, a presentation was held at Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service’s (MAWWFRS) Headquarters in Carmarthen, to unveil a recently restored hand operated firefighting pump.
Over the past few months, work has been undertaken to restore an historic Merryweather & Sons hand operated firefighting pump, after it had been stored in an outbuilding for almost 40 years.
History
The Merryweather four-person hand pump was commissioned in 1906 by Lord Drummond of Edwinsford Mansion, near Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire. The pump was procured following a serious haybarn fire on the Edwinsford Estate the previous year.
On the evening of the 22nd March 1907 the Drummond family were alerted to a fire which had broken out in one of the bedrooms in the house. The pump was put to work promptly and ensured that the fire was extinguished within an hour, preventing any further fire damage to the mansion house.
From left to right: Donwy Williams, Arwel Fowler, Eric Barnes and Dyfrig Williams with the restored Edwinsford pump.
Restoration
In 1986, the Merryweather hand operated pump was purchased by Dyfed Fire Brigade Officers Eric Barnes, Arwel Fowler, Donwy Williams and Dyfrig Williams. Following its purchase, the pump remained in an outbuilding belonging to one of the retired officers for almost 40 years, until the former officers approached MAWWFRS to enquire whether the Service would be interested in displaying the pump.
The pump was in a state of disrepair due to its age, with blistering paint and tarnished brass work, and it required a significant amount of restoration work prior to it being displayed at MAWWFRS’s Headquarters.
The restoration work was undertaken by former MAWWFRS officer, Rob Rayner, who has an interest in restoring and displaying vintage vehicles. The restoration process took approximately four months to complete and involved stripping out the component parts of the pump and removing the paintwork to expose the galvanised metal bodywork. The metal components required priming and repainting, the brass elements were polished, the internal and external bodywork of the pump were repainted and wooden components that had deteriorated were replaced.
Finally, the internal and external bodywork was professionally painted and a signwriter was commissioned to emboss the ‘Edwinsford 1906’ lettering across the front of the pump, along with the Merryweather & Sons logo.
Future
As the images of the restoration process highlight, the pump has been restored to full working order and now takes pride of place in MAWWFRS’s Conference Centre, where it will remain on permanent display as a historical exhibit. The pump is an important part of the social history of the Carmarthenshire area, and the Service is very grateful to former colleagues Eric Barnes, Arwel Fowler, Donwy Williams, Dyfrig Williams for loaning the pump to the Service. The Service is extremely grateful to Rob Rayner for his commitment and dedication in restoring the pump and the Service’s Fleet, Engineering and Logistics Department for their assistance during the restoration process.
Chief Fire Officer Roger Thomas KFSM commented:
“We are delighted to display the newly refurbished Edwinsford Merryweather Pump at our Headquarters in Carmarthen. The pump has been lovingly restored and represents an important reminder of our firefighting heritage in the Carmarthenshire area.”
MAWWFRS would also wish to acknowledge the assistance of Weston Paintworx and Les Gosling Signs, during the painting and sign writing process. After some 40 years, the Edwinsford Merryweather hand operated pump has been restored to its former glory.
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