VINTAGE FDNY WAR YEAR LIDS

raybrag

raybrag

Joined
Apr 1, 2007
Messages
4,109
Well, it's not FDNY, but interesting nonetheless. A Cairns leather High Eagle that appears to be from Holyoke, MA. Paul Schneider (from the LA County Fire Museum) photos. . . .
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Comment from Nate Arnold about this helmet:

"Wow. I live in the city next door to Holyoke, MA. Glad to see this helmet survives. A little history on the piece...back when this lid was new, Holyoke, Chicopee, West Springfield and Springfield all had VFA clubs. These clubs were made up of active and retired veteran firemen (volunteers in most cases). They participated in parades and ceremonies but their main claim to fame was the “old tyme firemen’s musters” where they competed in events for awards and trophies. All the VFA’s up here were part of the New England Muster League."

Explains the "VFA".
 
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skiLB

Joined
Jan 11, 2016
Messages
2,307
raybrag said:
Well, it's not FDNY, but interesting nonetheless. A Cairns leather High Eagle that appears to be from Holyoke, MA. Paul Schneider (from the LA County Fire Museum) photos. . . .
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Comment from Nate Arnold about this helmet:

"Wow. I live in the city next door to Holyoke, MA. Glad to see this helmet survives. A little history on the piece...back when this lid was new, Holyoke, Chicopee, West Springfield and Springfield all had VFA clubs. These clubs were made up of active and retired veteran firemen (volunteers in most cases). They participated in parades and ceremonies but their main claim to fame was the “old tyme firemen’s musters” where they competed in events for awards and trophies. All the VFA’s up here were part of the New England Muster League."

Explains the "VFA".
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Very cool
 
JohnnyGage

JohnnyGage

Joined
Apr 23, 2018
Messages
1,093
This L 31 helmet was up for auction. Members were able to track down the owner through the frontpiece badge. It was discovered that the helmet was stolen from the firehouse many years ago and now showed up at the auction. A concerned member monitored the auction, the helmet sold for $300. The concerned member explained the history of the helmet whereupon the new owner turned it back over to be returned to the rightful owner.

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L

Lebby

Joined
Feb 27, 2015
Messages
1,480
JohnnyGage said:
This L 31 helmet was up for auction. Members were able to track down the owner through the frontpiece badge. It was discovered that the helmet was stolen from the firehouse many years ago and now showed up at the auction. A concerned member monitored the auction, the helmet sold for $300. The concerned member explained the history of the helmet whereupon the new owner turned it back over to be returned to the rightful owner.

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Excellent to see news of houses getting thier history back. Nice work by La Casa Grande and the SoHo Trucking Company.
 
JohnnyGage

JohnnyGage

Joined
Apr 23, 2018
Messages
1,093
Nice batch of vintage lids and frontpieces. L 15 was the last rig I drove before my retirement as a detail a few days before 9/11. The officer Joe Leavey was my partner during proby school, we stood shoulder to shoulder. Another was Scott Larsen who was a proby, big as a bear with a huge smile, helped me inspect the TL that morning, a great young man that was going places. Both were among the crew that were murdered on 9/11. TL 15 is located on South Street, opposite the South St Seaport in a huge firehouse. The firehouse was so large, they had literally a machine shop and a room that had a model train set up. Of course on the end is L 5 frontpiece, I spent seven years there as the LCC for a tiller rig.
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JohnnyGage

JohnnyGage

Joined
Apr 23, 2018
Messages
1,093
^^^^As JK notes above, rare combination 1 31 frontpiece insert along with other oldtimers;
The CFC or Combination Fire Company was a trial program, an engine and ladder were combined as a single company with a Captain as a cost savings. The plan did not last long. The offset numeral 1 indicated a Combination Company, the second digit the Boro and the third the CFC number. CFC replaced E 151 and L 76 on Staten 'Italy' from 1974-79.
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skiLB

Joined
Jan 11, 2016
Messages
2,307
JohnnyGage said:
^^^^As JK notes above, rare combination 1 31 frontpiece insert along with other oldtimers;
The CFC or Combination Fire Company was a trial program, an engine and ladder were combined as a single company with a Captain as a cost savings. The plan did not last long. The offset numeral 1 indicated a Combination Company, the second digit the Boro and the third the CFC number. CFC replaced E 151 and L 76 on Staten 'Italy' from 1974-79.
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Click to expand...
Gr8 info/history
 
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