Around 1708 an Act was passed in England for the better protection of property and life from fire making it compulsory for every parish in England to maintain fire-engines and ladders, to be paid for out of the rates. The 1708 Act did not, however, provide any instructions for the use of the equipment, which subsequently was unmanned in the event of fires and so the fire insurance companies established brigades of fire-fighters. These private brigades, paid for by individual companies, often refused to fight fires at uninsured properties or at properties insured by other fire insurance companies.
In 1833, in response to the neglect of the fire-fighting equipment, the London fire brigades were amalgamated into the London Fire-engine establishment by Charles Bell Ford director of the Sun Fire-office company. This new brigade had 80 men and 19 fire stations. In 1862 a commission recommended the establishment of a fire brigade and this was effected by the Metropolitan Fire-Brigade Act of 1865, resulting in the private London fire-brigade being taken over by the Metropolitan Board of Works. At the same time, while a few major cities in England and Scotland had paid fire-brigades, other towns in Britain had volunteer forces. Within 30 years national fire-brigades had been established with 400 brigades nationwide employing over 30,000 firemen.
At the end of the 19th century the London Fire-Brigade was manned by 800 seamen and equipped with fire-engines, both land based and water-based 'fire-floats' manufactured by the Merryweather company which had been making fire-fighting engines since 1694. In 1889 an Act allowed London's fire-fighters to be recruited from all walks of life, not just sailors. Research Fire Brigade
Ich Dien (German: I serve) was the motto under the plume of ostrich feathers found in the helmet of the king of Bohemia slain at the Battle of Cressy, at which he served as a volunteer in the French army, in 1346. Edward the Black Prince, in respect to his father, Edward III, who commanded at the battle, adopted the motto which has since been borne with the feathers, by the heirs to the crown of England. Research Ich Dien
Alexander Carlyle was a Scottish Presbyterian minister. He was born in 1722 at Dumfriesshire and died in 1805. He became minister of Inveresk in 1747, and was one of the leaders of the Moderate party in the church. He was present at the Porteous riot, served as a volunteer in the '45 rebellion, and was present at the battle of Prestonpans. He was intimate with all the most eminent Scotchmen of the day, and got into trouble with the presbytery for assisting at the production of Home's Douglas. In his old age he wrote an autobiography, which was not published until 1860. It is a singularly interesting production, both from the vigour and sprightliness of its style and the pictures which it presents of Scottish society in the 18th century. Research Alexander Carlyle
Baldomero Espartero (Duke of Vittoria) was a Spanish statesman. He was born in 1792 and died in 1879. The son of a wheelwright, be was educated for the priesthood, but joined the army as a volunteer in 1808. He took a leading part in the conflict witli the Carlists, and was one of the most prominent men in Spain during several decades of the 19th century. He was regent of the kingdom from 1841 until 1843, and again head of the government from 1854 until 1856. He was exiled in England for several years between 1843 and 1847. In 1868 his name way vaguely put forward in the Cortes as a candidate for the throne, but the proposal fell flat, and the closing years of his life were spent in retirement. Research Baldomero Espartero
Benedict Arnold was an American soldier. He was born in 1741 at Norwich, Connecticut and died in 1801. A druggist, he joined the Colonial army and was appointed a colonel by the Massachusetts Congress when the American War Of Independence broke out. Benedict Arnold served as a volunteer in capture of Ticonderoga, and became famous for his masterly conduct of the right flank in the attack on Canada in 1775, being wounded at the assault on Quebec. Promoted to brigadier-general he was defeated by the British flotilla at Valcour Island in LakeChamplain in October 1776 but managed a skilful retreat. Further promoted to major-general he took part in the Burgoyne Campaign.
He commanded in Philadelphia but was court-martialled on trivial charges and reprimanded by George Washington. Obtaining the charge of West Point he intrigued with Henry Clinton for the betrayal of West Point to the British, but the capture of the negotiator frustrated the scheme and Benedict Arnold escaped to the British who rewarded him with a position of brigadier-general, a sum of money and the chance to make attacks upon Virginia and New London. After the war he went to England and lived out the remainder of his life there. Benedict Arnold is perhaps the most notorious traitor in American history.
Benedict Arnold was an American politician. He was born in 1615 at Rhode Island and died in 1678. He was elected President of Rhode Island in 1657 and under the royal charter of 1663 was its first Governor. Research Benedict Arnold
Cristina, Princess of Belgiojoso was an Italian lady who took a distinguished part in the revolutionary movement of 1830, and again in 1848. She was born in about 1808 and died in 1871. In 1848 she raised a volunteer corps at her own expense. After an exile of some years she returned under the amnesty of 1856, regained her property, and supported the policy of CountCamillo Cavour. Research Cristina
E E Ellsworth was an American soldier. He was born in 1837 and died in 1861. In 1861 he was appointed colonel of a regiment of volunteer Union soldiers (known at the time as Zouaves), and was shot by the proprietor of a hotel in Alexandria, Virginia, while tearing down a Confederate flag from the hotel. Research E E Ellsworth
Ferhat Abbas was an Algerian nationalist leader. He was born in 1899 at Taher and died in 1985. After serving as a volunteer in the French army in 1939 in 1942 he produced a manifesto of the Algerian people and in 1955 joined the FLN, and in 1958 formed a provisional government of Algeria in Tunis. In 1962, after Algerian independence he became President of the National Constituent Assembly before being exiled. Research Ferhat Abbas
Sir Francis Drake was an English seaman, pirate and murderer. He was born in 1539 or 1545 near Tavistock and died in 1596 of dysentery. The son of a poor farmer, he was apprenticed to the master of a coasting vessel, he was left the ship on the master's death. He accompanied Sir John Hawkins in 1567 in an action against the Spaniards, losing nearly all he possessed in that unfortunate enterprise. Having gathered a number of adventurers round him he contrived to fit out a vessel in which he made two successful pirate cruises to the West Indies in 1570 and 1571 and then set out in 1572 to plunder the Spanish Main, captured the cities of Nombre de Dios and Vera Cruz, and took a rich booty which he brought safely home, returning to England in 1573. After serving in Ireland as a volunteer, he suggested to the queen, Elizabeth I, an expedition to the Pacific, and in December 1577 he sailed in the Pelican with four other ships and 166 men.
In August 1578 the fleet passed through the straits of Magellan in sixteen days, plundered all along the coasts of Chile and Peru, sacked several ports, and captured a galleon laden with silver, gold, jewels, etc, to the value of perhaps 200,000 pounds and was then blown south to Cape Horn. The remaining ships became separated and returned to England, leaving the Pelican, now renamed the Golden Hind, alone in the Pacific. Drake sailed north along the coast of Chile and Peru, plundering Spanish ships as far as north as California, and then in July 1579 sailed south-west across the Pacific. He rounded the Cape in June 1580, and reached England in September, thus making the first voyage around the world by an Englishman. The voyage, however, was sullied by the murder by Drake of one of his captains, Thomas Doubty, for reporting the theft of supplies by Drake's brother, and the murder by Drake of a black slave girl, Maria, who, having fallen pregnant by Drake or one of his crew was marooned on a deserted island of the Spice Islands, and left his crew aggrieved when despite his promise he refused to share any of the stolen loot they had taken from the Spanish with them.
As there was no war between England and Spain the proceedings of Francis Drake were piracy. Courtiers were not pleased with receiving stolen goods from Drake, but the queen - receiving large amounts of money - maintained that they were lawful reprisals for the action of the Spaniards, and showed her favour to Francis Drake by knighting him on board his own ship. Five years afterwards Francis Drake was again attacking the Spaniards in the Cape Verde Islands and in the West Indies, and in 1588 particularly distinguished himself as vice-admiral in the conflict with the Spanish Armada, though contemporaries noted that during the action Drake's ship sped off after the unarmed Spanish pay ship and its gold which Drake wanted for himself, leaving the other English ships to face the Spanish warships. Reports of cowardice were made against Drake by the captains of the remainder of the English fleet, but Drake's wealth and continued bribes of the queen ensured bus position.
In 1593 he represented Plymouth in parliament. His later expeditions, that in 1595 against the Spanish West Indies and that to Panama, were not so successful, and his death, which took place in 1596 at sea off Porto Bello, was allegedly hastened by disappointment, the reality was the not to glamorous dysentery. Research Francis Drake
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Abbreviations
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