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War
Years:
1941 - 1945
During the
Second World War,
many Bower Hill firefighters went off to serve in the armed forces.
During this
era, Bower Hill became one of the first fire departments to accept a
woman as a
full active member, when Esther Padgelek
joined the
department. At the time, no insurance carrier would cover a woman as a
firefighter,
so she was listed on the roster simply as “E. Padgelek.”
The entire community contributed to public protection as well as to the
war
effort. Local industries, which produced steel, paint and glass, and
made rifle and artillery barrels
among other
products, were essential to war production. Fire protection for these
facilities was imperative, and the managers of the factories and mills
encouraged all employees to volunteer as firefighters.
The
department
had to
replace its Chemical and Hose Car during the war years. It had long
exceeded
its useful service life, and parts were completely unavailable. The
department members cobbled temporary parts and held together what they
could, but from April of 1942 to February of 1944, the truck was out of
service more than it was available. Finally, in
February of 1944, the old
International was
rendered beyond repair by mechanical failure and the department
returned to
fighting fires with hand extinguishers. With this, after two years of
paperwork and petitions, the War Production Board
finally
authorized the department to purchase a new pumper.
The chassis was a 1942 White, Model WA114, and the apparatus body and
500
Gallon per Minute (GPM) pump came from American Fire Apparatus. During
the
struggle to get approval from the War Production Board, the officials
of local
industries wrote numerous letters in support of the department and its
contribution to the war effort. A telegram of April 29, 1944 notes that
the
lack of a
suitable pumper cost the war
effort a
major oil well, which was totally destroyed by fire along with its
derrick, all
its
outbuildings and two nearby dwellings, three days earlier on April
26th. This seemed
to
make a difference. On May 4, the War Production Board gave its
approval, and on May 17, the
chassis was sent to the apparatus builder. The completed vehicle, the
first pumper the department ever owned, was delivered and went into
service just after the Allied invasion of Europe began in June.
In 1941,
the
Ladies
Auxiliary of the Bower Hill Volunteer Fire Department met for the first
time.
Though the phrase “pillar of the community” is a cliché,
it
truly
applies to ladies of the auxiliary. They instituted the first Bingo
fund
raisers in 1942 at Bower Hill School, and raffled Defense Bonds to
support the
war effort
and the fire department. In 1947, they bought the Community Honor Roll
to honor
the military veterans from Bower Hill who served in the Second World
War.
This
monument, originally erected at Bower Hill School, now stands at the
site of the Bower Hill
state historical marker on Kane Boulevard thanks to the efforts of the
Scott
Conservancy.
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