Description:The date and team members’ names are currently unknown. Formed in 1912-1913 with volunteer miners, and working then from the disused gasworks site in Victoria Street, the Hednesford team grew to be widely respected nationally. Under their Superintendent, Joshua Payton (wearing the Trilby hat in this photograph), they tested breathing equipment in chlorine gas at Porton Down during World War I and then trained a team of Royal Engineers in the use of the safety equipment.
Joshua was the Inspector from the team's founding and later Superintendent. He was also chief of Cannock Urban District Council’s fire brigade for 21 years. He died aged 71 in 1943.
Not only providing mines rescue services in the local area, they removed the crew’s bodies from the recovered submarine 'Thetis' which had accidentally sunk in Liverpool Bay in 1939.