Joseph Leonard Tobias was born on 5th August 1895 in Canning Town,
joining the London Fire Brigade on 28th January 1915. On completion of training
he was posted to No1 HQ, Southwark. However on 21st October 1916 he resigned,
like many others, to join the armed services, subsequently serving in the Army
in France. Following demobilisation he rejoined the Brigade on 24th March 1919,
retaining his seniority, (for promotion purposes), for the period he had spent
in HM Forces.
His first station was 94 Vauxhall, (29/11/19), during which time he married
Louisa Newell. He then transferred to 3 Westminster where he served until promotion
to Sub Officer on 1st December 1920. As a Sub Officer he served at the following
stations, 42 Woolwich, (2/12/20 – 5/12/22); 46 Lewisham, (6/12/22 –
5/2/23); 24 Brunswick Road, (6/2/23 – 7/10/25); 37 Shoreditch, (8/10/25
– 10/10/27); 66 Clerkenwell, (11/10/27 – 5/3/30); No1 HQ, (6/3/30
– 7/1/31). He was promoted Station Officer, (with the number 47), whilst
at HQ before being posted to 39 Stoke Newington 2/4/31, where he was awarded
the LCC Long Service & Good Conduct Medal. On 1st April 1932 he transferred
to 73 Euston.
Tobias was a tough, uncompromising man, who drove both his men and himself hard. It is perhaps this reputation of toughness that inspired his superiors to place him at Euston. The incumbent Station Officer at that time, Franklin, had been sick and unavailable for operational duties for many months with the watches being run by the Sub Officers. As a result of Franklin’s absence, (he still retained his quarters above the station), the watches had, in the view of senior officers, become slack. So Tobias was drafted in to instil some vigour into the station. Although Tobias was indeed a strict man, he was not much different from most Station Officers of that period. The thing that made this situation different was that Euston had become used to an ‘easy life’ due to the absent Station Officer, and Tobias’ arrival had upset a few people and probably shattered a few illusions.
Strict and a hard taskmaster he certainly was but he was courageous with it, for he was always at the forefront of danger with his men. His records reveal absence due to injury sustained at fires on no less than twelve occasions, including hospitalisation. Indeed he had been twice Commended by the Chief Officer, (21/11/32 for the rescue of two persons in Tottenham Court Road and assisting in the rescue of Sub O Lapham, 72 Soho, at a fire in White St, Moorfields 20/3/35), and Commended by the Divisional Officer North, (for his actions at a fire in Wimpole St).
On 9th September 1940 Tobias was made Acting District Officer, his place as station officer being taken by his own Sub Officer, (E Morgan), who had joined Euston in 1938. During the night of 16th/17th September 1940 during an air raid, a large six-storey warehouse in Great Portland St received direct hits from incendiary bombs. When the Brigade arrived the two upper floors were well alight, and fire was rapidly spreading to other parts of the building. Tobias had been mobilised to the fire from North Divisional HQ at Euston to take charge. As the incident progressed the crews were subjected to further bombing during which Fm Curson and Fm Evans, (both of Euston), were killed. Other personnel were severely injured; water mains were fractured and gas mains were set alight. The blast from the bomb severely damaged surrounding property and the task of rescuing the injured and retrieving the dead was made even more hazardous by falling masonry. Tobias who was caught in the blast when the bomb exploded and was critically wounded in the chest and lost an arm. He was removed to the Middlesex Hospital where he died the following day.
Joseph Tobias had served the people of London well, sustaining injury on many occasions and being commended on several. He was a hard taskmaster, of that there is no doubt, but he did not run away from his obligations, for when offered, he preferred to stay at his station and rebuild the morale that had so evidently been lost, and, in the end he paid the ultimate price. He can probably be best summed up by a quote from Commander Firebrace, who wrote: “Station Officer Tobias is a man who has made the Fire Brigade his god. I think he has thought of little but the efficiency of the Fire Brigade and his station since he joined”.