During the Second World War there were nine fire boat stations, three pre-war fire boats in service, as well as extra emergency fire boats and barges. The boats held pumping equipment which could provide up to 14,000 gallons of water a minute.

The Brigade’s most famed boat is the Massey Shaw, which was named after the first chief officer of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade. The boat, built in 1935, played an important role in the evacuation of Dunkirk. In May 1940, the Massey Shaw travelled to Dunkirk to rescue some 500 troops from shallow waters and ferry them to larger vessels returning to England. The boat was retired in 1971.

Post war