Aylmer Firebrace

Commander Sir Aylmer Newton George Firebrace, (17 June 1886 – 8 June 1972) was a British Royal Navy officer and fire chief. As a Royal Navy officer, he saw active service in World War I and participated in the Battle of Jutland. Following the war, he joined the London Fire Brigade and rose to become its Commander. With the creation of the National Fire Service, he became the first and only person to head firefighting across the whole of Great Britain. Early life Firebrace was born on 17 June 1886 in Southsea, Hampshire, England. He was the son of George Firebrace, lieutenant colonel in the Royal Artillery, and his wife Agnes Adela Firebrace (born Porter). His younger brother was the astrologer Brigadier Roy Firebrace. He was educated at HMS Britannia. Military career Following his education on HMS Britannia, he was in May 1902 appointed as a Naval Cadet on board the battleship HMS Bulwark, flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet On 30 July 1905, he was confirmed in the rank of sub-lieutenant. He was promoted to lieutenant on 30 July 1906. In 1912, he was serving on the HMS Indomitable. He saw active service during World War I. He served on HMS Centurion, a King George V-class battleship, during the Battle of Jutland in 1916, as a gunnery officer. In 1917, he was promoted to commander. He ended the war as commander of the Chatham Dockyard gunnery school.