Johnny Franklin
Joker King Of The Fire Badge World !
Hi there fellow collectors, firefighters & fire badge enthusiasts.
I am Johnny Franklin, a very proud retired firefighter from London Fire Brigade joining London 2 days after my 20th birthday in 1980. A livley character in & out of the job, a male stripper & D.J amongst other strings to my bow ;o) .. but a real passion for collecting and started young collecting various things !
Stamps from age 5 due to my beloved South African grandma, Elizabeth Grey ( Van Binsburg ....yep my Dutch & German heritage...i'm part "Kraut" pmsl...also English ( Franklin ), Irish ( nana Elizabeth Seddon ) , Scottish ( Grandad John Solon Walter Grey....Sutherland Clan & was a private in the British Army serving in South Africa during the Boer war 1899 to 1902 ! ).....and finally South African ( my luvly mum....still got her Afrikaanse twang ;o).......SOOOO...you see a mixed bag really with heritage proudly wiv many nations...apparently ha ha.
Other collections are military badges & headgear & insignia Blame that on my dad n his 2 brothers.... active servicemen in all 3 branches of the armed forces ! I purloined so many items from my family & relatives ...once they found out i was a mad collector !
My father Brian Franklin a "skate" Royal Navy ha ha, my Uncle Francis Franklin Royal Air Force and my Uncle "Bernard" John Franklin Royal Horse Guards...( famous because chosen at age 19 to ride his horse "Trigger" accompanying Queen Elizabeth's Coronation carriage in 1953 )....everytime i watch it..there is my beloved Uncle "Bernard" ! So naturally i purloined quite a few badges etc along my collecting journey. !
Joining the fire brigade was the best thing i ever did...by far !!
I loved the adrenaline and diversity of the job, the brotherhood & comradeship many firefighters would understand., a FAMILY..... i joined to see action, and action i did see....I absolutley loved the job, being amongst it...running in when every other fkr is running out..i loved going to work !!
Being a collector & receiving my uniform, looking at the hat & badge... marvelled at it & 42 years later i achieved the "CROWN" !
It starting a collecting passion that has now led to me owning, the curent best known and largest.... British Fire Brigade Cap Badge Collection in the UK from post 1948 to current day in either private or public hands..WOOHOO !! ...( maybe there is a hidden one somewhere that noone knows about OOPS ! )
To achieve this i have bought in many collections since buying my first one at Mansfield Fire Show in 1982, 100 badges for 200 quid cor blimey that was a lot back then ha ha.....the result is this HOBBY WEBSITE.
Purely set up primarily to sell off my vast amount of spare badges gained over those years, maybe giving me BACK some of the huge amount of personal spare "readies" i've shelled out in that time OUCH...( small mortgage comes to mind ;o)....
I didn't anticipate the popularity of my little hobby when setting it up in 2013 to sell off a few spares now n again. It appears i have created a unique website accidentally !!
From people who visit me and other collectors around the globe who have made comment since 2013....my little hobby is apparently the only specific fire brigade specialising website in the world, especially for British Fire Brigade Cap Badges ?? Well go figure...never saw that coming either...so i now try to upload a few new items weekly and promise to spend a little more time digging out new goodies in all sections. I've got tons of stuff so be patient my lovlies...time is my enemy with a busy n happy lifestyle for a geriatric old "smokeater" from London Town ;o)
My personal collection will be displayed properly in the near future, a tribute to the brave men & women here in UK & their brothers & sisters worldwide... that have worn these badges !! I will open it to the public at various times and intend to raise money via donations to The Firefighters Charity. That money goes directly to help U.K firefighters in distress of any sort.
I may one day display it at Harcombe House where the charity is based, & where they rehabilitate traumatised & injured firefighters & their families UK wide !
To add to my famous collection, i am constantly on the lookout for full collections or single badges in the hope there is a variation or rare badge i dont yet have. I know of several badges that exist that are not with "their family" in my collection & live in hope that they will eventually come my way to complete the "wall of fame"....or should i say FLAME ha ha
So....drum roll....i am also looking for badged brass & leather Victorian to ww2 fire helmets, British & foreign,... nice decorative helmets ( but not the modern crap lol )...the early helmets darlings....those brave firefighters never had no protection, they went in anyway wiv just a lid, neck scarf n good old wool tunic !!
I have collections of all fire brigade insignia & heaps of spares to trade or sell, i am also proud owner of the largest & rarest British Fire Brigade pre war button collection, partly due to buying 3/4 of it from famous collector & friend Finbar Nolan ( R.I.P mate.....i've added loads to it wink wink ) !
Finbar spent over 40 years collecting & specialising in early fire brigade buttons. It was my great honour & privilage to spend several errr grand....to own it ! Finbar offered it to me untouched & as complete because he was not ever going to piecemeal it orf....and i have kept it complete & already added many to it ! TY buddy...;o)..... i'll display it in alphabetical order.... wiv a little brass plaque n your name on it, a fitting tribute to a fellow "fire nutcase" as moi ! x
All my famous collections will be accessible to the public once settled in Devon. Cloth & metal insignia, headgear & other fire brigade antiquities amassed over 40 odd years attending fire & militaria fairs countrywide !
So if disposing of any of the above, gimme a shout why dont ya ;o)
N.B any insignia i buy for my collections with HISTORY attached...a photo in uniform ( if relevant ) & the name of the firefighter who wore it.....one day they will be on a wall of "flame fame"...an ikkle piccie & name next to that item ..... a tribute to me "smokeatin" family of world firefighters !!
AMEN........laters fellow fire badge nuts x
Johnny Franklin
Retired London Fire Brigade
Joker & Cap Badge King Of The Fire Badge World .!!