The London Fire Brigade has named one of its new high-speed fire boats after a heroine of the Blitz who worked in Dockhead.
The two new boats, which are twice as fast as their predecessors, reaching 40 knots, are named after auxiliary firewoman Gillian Tanner and auxiliary fireman Harry Errington.
Ms Tanner was from Gloucestershire but moved to London in the war to help the war effort. She joined the auxiliary fire service because she had a lorry driving licence and was placed at Dockhead fire station in Bermondsey.
Her greatest moment of heroism came in the Blitz in 1940, when she drove a petrol lorry through a hail of bombs during the blackout. She successfully delivered 150 gallons of petrol to the docks to refuel fire appliances, helping them fight the blazes set off by the bombs.
Ms Tanner was awarded the George Medal for her bravery. A notice in the London Gazette from 1940 said: “Six serious fires were in progress and for three hours Auxiliary Tanner drove a 30-cwt. lorry loaded with 150 gallons of petrol in cans from fire to fire replenishing petrol supplies, despite intense bombing at the time.
“She showed remarkable coolness and courage throughout.”
Ms Tanner stayed in the fire service until the end of the war, and lived until 2016, when she died aged 96.
She was painted by war artist Alfred Thomson in her fire service uniform. The portrait is in the Imperial War Museum near Waterloo.
The two new boats have hoses that allow crews to fight fires from the river, a hydraulic crane for carrying out rescues from the water, and a high-definition thermal imaging camera.
London Fire Commissioner, Andy Roe, said: “The Brigade is transforming for London and our brand-new fire boats are the latest improvements to the new equipment we are rolling out.
“Our investment of around £40 million on our fleet over the last few years is part of our commitment to do all we can to meet the changing needs of our communities and keep Londoners safe long into the future; the fireboats will be a fantastic new addition to our fleet.”
Harry Errington, after whom the other new boat is named, was also awarded the George Cross for rescuing two men from an air raid shelter that was on fire and whose ceiling had collapsed.
The call signs for the boats are H23A and H23B, a reference to Adam Mere and Billy Faust, two London firefighters who died fighting a fire in 2004.