Description:The morning after the fire, with fire engine, a soldier and a fireman in front of the burnt buildings.
Bryan Chinn recalls;
I attended this fire as a sub-officer of Ind Coope Fire Service, and my crew was first in attendance. We were called to attend because of the Nations Fireman's strike.
We drove to the fire via High Street, and could see the flames in the distance over the rooftops.
The Army firemen were billeted at the Drill Hall, and arrived shortly after us.
Bass Fire Brigade attended later. This was a major fire, and we were only just able to stop the fire from spreading to the Ambulance Station next door.
During the fire fighting Bass (who owned the building) provided refreshments at the Queen's Hotel, and later presented bottles of whisky to my crew.