Pete Edwards (Insurance Officer)

My father was a founder member of the Enfield & District Veteran Vehicle Society, and I spent a number of my early years cleaning Brass and travelling to Brighton and many other shows on the 1912 John Morris Belsize fire engine that was purchased by 10 members of the EDVVS and each held a £5.00 share. The EDVVS later purchased EMX 122, a 1936 Leyland TLP which I was fortunate enough to travel on a 1932 Leyland PE, ‘Vivien’ to collect it. I think the bug had been planted!  

I joined the Auxiliary & National Fire Service Preservation Group, latterly FSPG in 1969 after meeting early members of the group and travelling with them to shows and events. I purchased my first preservation project, a Coventry Climax FSM 3 trailer pump around 1971/2 and fully restored it in grey. Early member Ray Maslen was kind enough to tow it to shows for me behind ‘Vivien’. I have since had a number of appliances for preservation including an ex-States of Jersey Bedford Magirus 81ft TL. I now own and have fully restored, what I believe to be the only complete surviving example of the five Series 2a Land Rover/Sun Engineering airfield RiVs built for the MoD.  

I started my engineering apprenticeship with Belling & Co in 1971 ending my career with them as a Senior Production Engineer. I then trained as a fireman, working in the fire safety industry, including becoming a Lo Category airport fire officer and instructor. I have now semi-retired giving me more time to spend on my passions.  

I am a member of British Standards FSH/2 Committee for the design, manufacture and maintenance of portable fire extinguishers and have just been appointed as Technical Officer for the UK Fire Association.  

I have been on the Group EC for some years being privileged to serve as President for a number of them. In the early days the Groups members were a very friendly and helpful bunch of likeminded people. Over the years this has become less so. I firmly believe the new EC will be open and fair with the membership and listen to the way the membership wants the Group to be run. We must of course move with the times, comply with new regulations/laws and adapt our displays to fall in-line with them. My aim now is to encourage the FSPG to become more like it was in the beginning and promote the preservation of fire memorabilia and appliances and demonstrate them operating