A fascinating insight into Kirkbymoorside's fire service has been developed by the town's History Group.

Chris Boddy one of the original founders of the Kirkbymoorside History Group has been gathering together material and photographs spanning the decades since the Second World War, which have finally come together to create a new history of the town’s fire service and those who served in it.

A book has been written, starting back with one of the most dramatic and devastating fires seen in Kirkbymoorside in 1871, when the old Tollbooth (now the Memorial Hall) was gutted by fire. Chris takes us through to the modern day and with the help of several former firefighters, the book has stories and recollections of how things have changed over the years, but also how much has stayed the same.

“Kirkbymoorside has always been a retained service, relying on local volunteers to provide coverage, alongside Pickering and Helmsley stations, and help those in need at the some of the most frightening times of their lives,” says Chris, “which requires a lot of commitment, training, and support from not only the volunteers, but the Fire Service, as well as employers and family members too. It can affect the whole family when you are on call.”

Louise Mudd, who has worked with Chris on the project, has interviewed several former and serving firefighters which allows the reader to see the more personal side of the job. However, it was the wonderfully descriptive article newspaper article on the Tollbooth Fire of 1871 that planted the idea of exploring the possibility of commissioning a painting to commemorate this event.

“The fire in 1871 was a key point in our town’s history, prompting the council to buy a Merryweather hand pump so it could provide some fire cover in town. Prior to this fire, the nearest assistance was from either Helmsley or Pickering,” says Louise, “the Tollbooth was destroyed, and it took a year to rebuild, albeit at a reduced scale.

“Sadly, we lost one of our supporters in 2020 – Olga Hammond – who was in one of our very first projects on the former Adela Shaw Children’s Hospital, where she was a well-known and much-loved nurse and sister. The family very kindly gave us a legacy in her name, which allowed us to commission an oil painting in her memory.”

The artist who took on this commission is local resident Mhairi Maxwell. A graduate of Edinburgh College of Art, Mhairi was born and raised in Kirkbymoorside and was brave enough to work on this challenging work of art, with only reference photographs in black and white to use as inspiration.

“I wanted to take on something challenging and important to the community. I have attempted to capture a glimpse of the heritage of the town in the 1870s,” said Mhairi.

The book and the painting will be launched on July 10 at the Gavel & Bean, in Kirkbymoorside, where the painting will hang for a time, thanks to the support of local celebrity auctioneer Angus Ashworth, star of The Yorkshire Auction House.

This location allows anyone to come in and see the painting and the books will be available in town or directly from the KMS History Group at a cost of £15 each.