As in all small towns, fire was a concern for Campbelltown, Pa. From it’s earliest beginnings the town had no means for fire protection, only a small creek and the towns residents forming a bucket brigade would be the only means of squelching a fire. By 1860 the town had 39 structures but it would take another 65 years until the town decided to vote for a volunteer fire company.

On July 1, 1925 a group of local citizens met at the Campbelltown School. On September 21, 1925 the charter was accepted and the newly formed Campbelltown Volunteer Fire Company was official. The assembled groups first purchase was 750 feet of Eureka Interwoven fire hose purchased locally at Brandt’s Hardware at a cost of $1.30 per foot.

Eventually a motorized truck would be necessary and the company voted to purchase a 1927 Hahn Fire Apparatus at a cost of $4,080.00. This truck was later sold to neighboring Ono Fire Company for $300.00. Campbelltown Apparatus was housed locally at Grubb and miller’s garage. On October 4, 1930 the company would proud to dedicate the first fire hall and community building. As the need for more modern equipment became evident a decision was made to purchase a 1947 550 GPM Mack Pumper, arriving on October 6, 1947 it had a total cost of $7,843.18.

In 1959 the first squad truck was purchased from Smith’s Dairy for $150.00. A Smith’s Dairy Dodge was also purchased and members built their first 1,500 gallon tanker. A Diamond T-Taker was purchased from Civil Defense in 1967 to haul water. In August of a970 plans were made to purchase a 1971 1,000 GPM Mack Pumper with a 5 man cab. It was delivered in May of 1971 at a cost of $35,800.00, this would be the last gasoline powered Mack to be purchased. On February 6, 1976 q new rescue truck was purchased, replacing the retired 1954 Squad truck (A former bread and milk delivery vehicle). Built at a cost of $35,000 it was delivered in February of 1977.

After it’s delivery some of the members attended the necessary courses of training and in July the Campbelltown Life Squad went into formation. This gave the town not only fire protection but also first responder m=edical care as well. Rescue 2 was eventually replaced with An R-model Mack built in 1981. In 1983 a new 4,000 gallon tank truck was purchased at a cost of $103,000. Built by Mack it is equipped with a 500 GPM pump. Current apparatus includes Engine 2, an E-One built in 1995, Engine 2-1 An Imperial built in 1973, Rescue 2, an R-Model Mack built in 1981, Tanker 2 an R-Model Mack built in 1983 and Utility 2 a Ford built in 1984. We are proud of our history and of the dedication our volunteers continue to offer to insure the safety of not only its citizens but also of those in surrounding communities.

No history of the Campbelltown Fire Department would be complete without a re-cap of a fire they fought and the fine cooperation they received from their neighboring firemen.
It was the Ira Basehore Potato Chip Plant in town early Tuesday morning about 3:00 A.M., July 25, 1944. After the alarm sounded the firemen lost no time in getting water on the fire, especially on A. C. Spangler's home which was already on fire when the men arrived. Campbelltown made their connections on Locust Street, and the engineer, soon had the Hahn pumping a steady stream of water as the hose men handled their job very efficiently. It seemed only a few minutes until another siren was heard as Palmyra with its Hahn equipment and fire fighters rushed to the scene.

Palmyra made their plug connections near the Bank on Main Street. With Palmyra, with machine like precision, had their hose laid and water on the fire in a short time. Chief Fire Marshall, Abram Stauffer was also on hand, but the nearby homeowners were taking no chances and soon Hershey with its equipment and the Chocolate town fire fighters arrived on the scene. Hershey made their plug connections near Brandt's Hardware, running their main line past Dissinger's Store up Locust Street and using a two-way for a double hose line in Basehore's alley.

When three engines were pumping from the water system there was a certain irregularity in the pressure. A hurried conference of the Chief, Elvin 0 Miller and the engineers and then the pumpers were set so that all had a certain amount of water. By this time a few persons were worried that the supply of water in the reservoir would not be sufficient. A checkup showed that after a few hours pumping it had lowered about one third, using more than 35,000 gallons. A report of this kind would not be complete if it did not pay a separate compliment to each individual volunteer fireman that helped and saved numerous dwellings; although the plant itself was destroyed. There are nicer things to do than get out of bed at 3:00 o'clock in the morning to help fight a fire.

To end this summary without paying a tribute to the men who had the courage and foresight to organize the Campbelltown Water Company and Fire Company would be doing them an injustice. This type of a fire is what they wanted to guard against, and how right they were, for what could have prevented the burning down of the

Bakery and adjacent homes if it had not been for a sufficient supply of water and good fire equipment.

The H.M.S. Campbeltown was originally built in Bath, Maine by Bath Iron Works and launched as the U.S.S. Buchanan. In September 1940, prior to the United States involvement in WWII, the US Navy transferred 50 American destroyers to Britain in return for the lease of naval and air bases in the Caribbean and North Atlantic. Once in the hands of the British Royal Navy, the ships were renamed for towns common to Britain and the US. Thus the HMS Campbeltown was born. Named for a small community in the southern portion of Scotland. After the German Navy's Bismarck was destroyed by the British Royal Navy in May 1941, the only remaining powerful battleship Germany possessed was the Tripitz Unfortunately, attempts to destroy this ship were made unsuccessful. Because the ship needed a large berth in which to anchor for servicing and repairs, it was proposed to destroy one of three ports that fulfilled this purpose. The port of St. Nazalre, Normandie, France became the target. Operation Chariot was born!

The H. M. S. Campbeltown was prepared for battle - "Twenty-four depth charges containing eight thousand five hundred pounds of high explosives were placed in a steel tank and set over the fuel tanks aft of the forward gun turret. Eventually, the boat was sailed into the Normandy dry dock amidst gunfire from the Germans Once in position, the commandos set the delayed fuses and holes were blown in the stem to sink the aged destroyer. At 10:30 am on March 28, 1942, the H. M. Campbeltown exploded with a mighty force totally destroying the dock. Eight years passed before the name of the H. M. S. Campbeltown would again surface. On July 24, 1950, H. C. McClelland, British Consul General, sent a letter the City of Lebanon outlining the bequest of a ship's bell to the city of Lebanon, Pennsylvania.

With the arrival of the bell, a local committee of Campbelltown citizens was arranged for the official community reception. On the committee were representatives from the Boy Scouts; South Londonderry Township School Board; Robert L. Eckert Post of the American Legion; Campbelltown Fire Company; Campbelltown Fire Company Auxiliary, PTA; , Water Company and the local Justice of the Peace. The bell, upon its arrival in the community, was accompanied by numerous letters from school children in Campbeltown, Scotland to the children in Campbelltown, Each letter was given to a child at the Campbelltown School, who proceeded to establish a correspondence. Display of the bell, a proud place of honor, was established by the Fire Company in their building on Main Street. The history of the bell lay dormant for many years. When the Fire Company moved to their present building in the late 1960's, this relic from a ship of long ago found its place in a small brick display case out front. It wasn't until 1982, that the bell became headline news once more.

A letter from the U. S. Department of the Navy arrived in March of 1982 on behalf of Lieutenant Commander Patrick Stewart, RNR, Commanding Officer of T S. mpbeltown (Sea Cadets). It stated, "On the wall of the fire station in your Campbeltown hangs the bell of HMS Campbeltown, the ship that played such a crucial part the daring and spectacular raid against the docking facilities in St. Nazalre, France. Since this year is the 40th Anniversary of that raid, it is the fervent desire of the T. S. Campbeltown Sea Cadets to display that bell during the 40th Anniversary observance." The members of the Fire Company were very happy to honor this request, and the bell was given to the American Navy to handle the transfer. Navy Commander Rick Woolard was chosen to parachute into the Royal Air Force Base at Machrihanish, Kintyre Scotland with the bell strapped to him. Once the festivities were held, the bell traveled a bit until its return to the Campbelltown Volunteer Fire Company. With it back home, the bell was placed again outside of the firehouse for all to see.

In April 1988 Mr. Dale Skinner, a member of the Fire Company, received from United States Navy Commander E. J. Parks of Norfolk, Virginiaa letter stating that the British Government was building a new HMS Campbeltown scheduled for commission in Summer of 1989. He requested the bell be loaned to be placed on the new ship. Aware of the strong interest of the United States Navy, the Royal Navy, and the people of Campbeltown, Scotland, the Fire Company decided that a committee should be formed to entertain the idea and make a decision whether to return it or not.

The committee consisted of various representatives from community organizations such as was done in 1950 when the bell first arrived. After a few meetings, it was decided to allow the community to vote on Election Day whether to return the bell or not. It was also noted that the British were interested in loaning the bell, and returning it to the community after the ship is decommissioned in 2009. The vote was held on Election Day 1988, and it was decided a 5-vote margin to return it for the duration of the ship's life. A brief ceremony was held on May 22, 1989, with nearly 200 residents in attendance, for the purpose of presenting the bell to the British Royal Navy. Mr. Steve Alger, president of the Campbelltown Lions Club, accompanied the bell and participated in the ship's christening on May 27, 1989 at Plymouth, England. Since the bell was placed on the ship, it was decided to erect a new display case to include all the various mementos given to the community by the British Roy Navy and the crew of the new HMS Campbeltown. Dedication ceremonies were held on Tuesday September 2, 1992 with crewmembers from the ship attending. The bell is scheduled to return in 2009 with more experiences added to its already distinguished history. It has become a great symbol of the alliance formed between two distinct communities - Campbelltown, Pennsylvania and Campbeltown, Scotland.

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