Local resident Raymond Morris saw the photograph of the Fire Brigade in Ross in last week’s issue and was prompted to bring a fireman’s helmet he owns into the Gazette office. He bought this helmet locally, about 40 years ago, so it may even have been one of the helmets worn in the picture.

The metal helmet, which was part of the uniform from the late 1800s to about 1940s was heavy and uncomfortable and Mr Morris said he did not think it offered much protection.

Mr Morris served as a retained fireman in Ross for 15 years from the early 1970s. He can recall the fire at Kemps as one of the biggest ever seen in Ross and also dealt with many road accidents, which he finds difficult to talk about.