Similar building in Sheerness High St                                       

There is another very similar building to the heritage centre situated 97 Sheerness High St. and now occupied by a financial services firm. This building too is of considerable local interest because it is the oldest surviving shop of the Cooperative Movement in the world. The cooperative movement was started in 1816 when a small group of dockyard     office employees  upset with the high prices of the local shopkeepers banded together to supply for themselves some of the basic foodstuffs.  They formed themselves into a trading  society with clearly defined objectives; “The Society established this twenty first day of November in the Year One Thousand  Eight Hundred and Sixteen, by the officers and Workmen of His Majesty’s Dock Yard, Ordnance and New Work,at Sheerness in the Isle of Sheppey, in the County of Kent for obtaining for themselves and families, a supply of Wheaten Bread and Flour, and Butcher’s Meat, shall henceforth be nominated the Economical Society”. The bread, meat and later fresh water provided by the society for its members were sold from carts that were pushed round the town. The call for a society providing more than the limited range offered by the Economical Society led to a meeting being held at Sheerness on 14^th October 1849 where shares of five shillings each were floated for the formation of  new society. Funds were also raised by borrowing £451.00 from local lodges and friendly societies. Customer loyalty was encouraged by the rule “that members not purchasing the Society’s goods receive no dividend from the profits”. In January 1850, a stock of groceries was acquired and  shipped down the Medway by barge. At the pier the goods were transferred into a waiting carriers dray and a procession of members preceded by a band and under the banner “We have subdued our enemies” marched to the shop in the High St.  The Economical Society and the Cooperative Society had long worked together and in 1919 they formally merged to form the Sheerness Economical Coop Ltd. Rochdale’s society did not start until 1844 therefore Sheerness should be regarded as the place where the Cooperative movement truly started. Unfortunately, the local coop no longer bears the name of the “Sheerness Coop” Many of our visitors will still remember the large number of food clothing and shoe shops trading under the name of the local coop as well as milkmen and bakery deliverymen. You will be interested to see in the kitchen of Sheerness Heritage Centre an old mangle used for squeezing water out of clothes. If you look carefully, you will find that it was specially made for the Sheerness Cooperative Society.  It must be almost certain that the residents of this building must have made some of their food purchases at the similar wooden building in the High St.  The Coop grew into a very large local concern, with a bakery, dairy, shoe shop, gent’s outfitters, ladies wear shop, café, tobacconists and grocery shops in Sheerness High St., Bluetown High St. Richmond St, Minster, and Queenborough. However as the Sheerness and District Cooperative Society flourished from its early connection with the

  dockyard so it declined from the time of the closure of the dockyard until now  when it comprises a very small part of the retail trade of Sheerness and Sheppey .The Sheerness society was swallowed up by the Royal Arsenal Cooperative Society and subsequently by the Wholesale Cooperative Society

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Above is the report of the Sheerness  Cooperative Provision  Society  for the year ending 31st December 1850 See Economical Society pics in date order Nos. 13,14,15 to enlarge and read    

Economical Society bread van. Driver is Bert Tucker. It is possible that he knew

Bert Dummott who was a delivery driver between the wars

Coop motor van Model T Ford 1921 driven by Alfred Coultrip who learned to drive

during 1st World War. They might all have known each other

A COOPERATOR                                   

Born at Sheerness Kent, he became an engineering apprentice in Sheerness Dockyard from 1915-1922.His co-operative career commenced in 1919 when he became a member of the first education committee of Sheerness Economical Co-operative  Society. He spent two years at the Co-operative College, obtaining the co-operative honours diploma, the diploma in co-operative secretaryship and a variety of prizes. After a short time with the Co-operative Wholesale Society audit department in London, he moved to Manchester and the Co-operative Bank, gaining more prizes in banking examinations. In 1931 he joined the Co-operative Union as assistant labour adviser before moving to Plymouth Co-operative Society as general secretary and chief executive officer in 1941. He served the co-operative movement nationally, and the city of Plymouth locally for the rest of his life. He was a prolific writer on co-operative subjects, writing textbooks as well as contributing to various co-operative journals

This building was completed on August 18th 1891

and burned down Tuesday 11th September 1923

Sheerness Cooperative Society

                   building in High St suffers huge fire

                                    Extracts from the Sheerness Times September 1923 

           "THE GREAT FIRE AT DAWN ON TUESDAY

              Cooperative Central Premises Wiped Out

                     DEVASTATION AND HAVOC

                                Remarkable Scenes

The huge central premises of the Sheerness Economical Cooperative Society, situated in the High St., were gutted during the early hours of Tuesday  (11th) morning by the worst fire that has occurred in the town for fifty years. At one time there were grave fears for all the shop premises opposite, and the Wellington Hotel adjoining, together with the Tartars Head and Miss Grout's confectionary shop.

  At about 5 a.m. the flames leapt to the skies in such a manner as to liken the whole block of buildings to an inferno of flaring merchandise.The glare from the flames could be seen for miles, and in some streets it was quite easy to read a newspaper by the light from the fire. Thick clouds of smoke rolled over the town carrying the burnt debris in all directions. . Some of this floated as far away as the Well Marsh and other parts of the town.   The fire began in or around the boot department, by all accounts, through some unknown cause; at least it appears it was first seen there, in the nature of a flare up instantly and the window collapsing into the street.. Long before this the fire must have been raging very fiercely inside, for it spread with great rapidity to all parts of the premises.

First officer Burden of the Sheerness Fire Brigade raised the alarm by phoning the other firemen and

Capt. W. Nokes was soon

Picture from Sheerness Times

on the scene. He at once comprehended the magnitude of the conflagration and immediately gave a call to the other Brigades in the district. Meanwhile someone had informed the Surveyor (Mr F.R. Gray) who very speedily got to work in cooperating with Capt. Nokes,Supt.Hoare KCC of Sittingbourne and Inspector Hazelden , of Sheerness, in closing down the High St  from the Clock to near the Labour Exchange. The gas service was attended to by endeavouring to limit the supply, and notices were posted on the Bridges warning the public that the High St was closed at the points mentioned above.

 The water supply was good although the combined demands of the various engines could not be met by ordinary means. A higher pressure than normal was maintained through the great care exercised by Mr. Newman, the turncock , in controlling the feed to the vicinity of the fire.

                                                             Arrival of the Brigades

The Sheerness Fire Brigade was quickly on the scene, and placing the engine near a hydrant in the Broadway between the Clock Tower and the Conservative Club soon had two lengths of  hose playing  on the font of the building.. It was immediately realised that further assistance would be essential and the stations in the vicinity were communicated with.

  The Dockyard Brigade were given orders to stand by shortly before 5.25 and within a few minutes were given instructions to proceed to the scen of the outbreak under the directions of Station Sergeant Haynes. It was deemed advisable to take up a station near Nokes' Garage and so they proceeded down Granville Rd and reached the upper part of the High St via St Georges Ave.When turning into the Avenue the engine could not negotiated the sharp bend comfortably, the vehicle crashing into and removing a portion of the kerb on the opposite side of the road, with the result that two policemenwho were riding on the engine narrowly escaped serious injury. P.C Bird was thrown   to                                                                      

                                                                                                                                                Picture Sheerness Times

the pavement with great forceand it appears marvellous that the fall was not attended with any very serious results. As it was he was picked up and taken unconcious into one of the houses in the road. After a time he regained conciousness and later in the day was able to assist in fighting the fire.. PC Wood also fell from the engine at the same time as P.C Bird and sustained an injury to his knee. (That occurrance is rather significant, in view of  certain statements made in the columns of the 'Sheerness Times' about nine months agao. On the corner in question, a grocer's shop has recently been erecte, and the design of the building provided for a rounded form of corner. After the shop had been erected we suggested that it would be beneficial if the Councilcould see their way clear to arrange the footpathto be of a semi-circular form at that perticular place. We pointed out at the same timethat it would be mch easier for trafficmake the corner if it was rounded. There is little doubt that the occurrence on Tuesday morningwould not have taken place if the if the footpath had been as suggested, and it still  appears most desirable to make an alteration lest in the future a similar thing occurs.)

It was 5.40 a.m when the Dockyard engine was connected to a hydrant near "The Crown" and fed a hose which was played on the front of the building making a total of three attacking the conflagration from the High Street.. Although the streams of water poured  incessantly into the building the fire was not checked to any great extent as it had established a firm hold. The Furnishings and Boot departments were burnt up very quickly, and occasionally one was able to hear a dull muffled form of explosions probably from oil drums or  barrels of other inflammable material bursting as the fire gradually gained ground.

  The next Brigade to arrive on the scene was the Queenborough contigent, who had received the call at 5.40 a.m. The horse drawn steamer , in charge of Captain W.S. Fenton, assisted by Lieut. Hancock, was was driven to Sheerness by Mr. S.T. Payne, and the distance was covered in a very short space of time, only 25 minutes being taken for the journey.. The firemen came via Westminster and stopped at the Moat, but they nly stayed at the Bridges a few minutes and moved on to a hydrant near the Victoria  Working Men's Club. At 6.10 a.m or withinhalf an hour of receiving the call they had a hose playing on to the rear of the building.

  For some minutes the grave situation remained unchanged and the firemen were doing all in their power to prevent the outbreak spreading to other buildings in the immediate  vicinity. By that time Inspector Hazelden had summoned all his forces to the scene and the public were not allowed to approach beyond the Britannia Hotel on one side or the International Tea Stores on the other side of the Cooperative premises.

                                                            A THUNDEROUS CRASH

  A large number of people had gathered who had hastily dressed and hurried to the scene. For some time they watched the fire-fighters with the greatest interest. Gradually the interior of the building which was once the Boot and Furnishing Departments was completely destroyed and little remained in position excepting the main front and side walls. Still, water was hurled through apertures in the brick-work, and as the seconds passed it was realised that the wall could not stand for any length of time. Those in charge of the hose no doubt occupied a dangerous position and in the peculiar light caused by the red glow of partly burnt materials and the leaping flames before it was really daylight, they were closely watched by the silent crowd.

     Suddenly, in the stillness of the morning, which was only broken by the cracking of the woodworkbeing destroyes by the fire, the splash and the roar of the water from the hose and an occasional fall of brickwork, a shout of alarm was heard. It was 6.20 a.m when the crowd  glancing skyward on hearing the signal of warning saw that the front wall was collapsing in the middle. The uppermost portion after a final quiver crashed to the ground, breaking the glass shelster erected in front of the premises. The firemen had dropped their hoses and run for safety and it was indeed fortunate that nobody was injured by the thunderous crash.

    As soon as the fron wall  commenced its downward plunge the main side wall began to topple. Slowly at first but with great acceleration it fell , strking the roofs of the Tartars Head  and Miss Grout's confectionary premises with great force and doing tremendous damage. After the cloud of dust had cleared up it was observed that a huge pile of bricks and debris was all that was all that remained of the Furnishing and Boot Department. The roadway was also blocked  but it was most remarkable that only a few bricks were to be found on the pavement on the opposite side of the road.

   The firefighters immediately returned to theirhuge task and for some minutes played on to the ruins. The hose which was fed by the Dockyard engine  occasionally was turned onto the buildings opposite, from which small clouds of smoke were seen to be issuing.

   About 6.45 a.m the Sittingbourne Brigade under Capt. Hedley Peters, arrived at Sheerness.They proceeded to the Council Yard  and after carrying out a few minor repairs to the engine  which was slightly damaged owing to the rough nature of the roads, they assisted the Queenborough men at the rear of the building. The hose was run directly from the Council Yard  to Trinity Place and the mainland firemen worked until  shortly before noon when they returned to Sittingbourne.

   The hand manual of the sheerness Brigade was brought into ation as early as 5.20 a.m  when volunteers were called for. They were immediately beside the pump and one hose was continuously fed by this means until 11.40 a.m. Thers is no doubt that supply of water did invaluable soon after the fire commenced and it was the only hose playing on the rear of the building until the arrival of the Queenborough men.

   Those who assisted in operating the hand pump included the following; R King J Harris, A Bower, F. Cheeseman, W. Dowell, E.Susans, A. Shepherd, F. Hide, A.E. Waterman, C.Priest, W. Clement, A.care, G. Smith, G. Girt, E. Stockbridge, A. Sheehan, G. Young, F. Harden, G. Farrands, W. Belsey, W. Hancock, J. Bloxham, E. Murr, J. Burgess, W. Howting, C. Shepherd, J. Mears, F. Hudson, H. Garrett, E.Girt,  W. Redpath, H. Hide, A.P. Jordan, H. paine, T. Bennett, etc.

    The RAF (Eastchurch) Fire Brigade put in an appearance at 8.20a.m. The men were in the charge of F/Sgt Butcher but they onlystood by as they were not equipped with a pumping engine. Later in the morning,however, the servicemen assisted in subduing the outbreak.

                                                                                   OTHER PREMISES DAMAGED

  Since commencing operations those in charge of the Dockyard appliance which was a six cylineder Dennis engine, found difficulty in obtaining an adequate supply of water.

The report in the Sheerness Times continues at great length for several pages with much detail, including telling the readers  that Brigades from Sheerness, the Dockyard, Queenborough, Sittingbourne and RAF Eastchurch took part in putting the fire out..

There was also an interesting denial from the Sheerness and District Electric Supply Co (Limited) who said they

"wish to contradict the rumour that is current in the town that the Electicity supply to the Sheerness &District EconomicalCooperative Society's premises was in any way responsible for the outbreak of fire on Tuesday 11th inst. Upon examination immediately after the fireit was found that, in accordance with the Society's usual practise, the Electricity had been shut off at the main switches  which control the supply to the whole of the buildings................

..........It was noted that when the building was opened in 1891 the person performing the opening ceremony was J.T. Mitchell of Rochdale, Chairman of the Cooperative Wholesale Society"

Editor's note; Did they try to persuade him that Sheerness beat Rochdale to it ???

    The complete story can be found in Sheerness Library in the microfiche of Sheerness Times for September 1923

The Coop fire was where the bus is