Although very simple, the stirrup pump was a key piece of equipment in fighting incendiary bombs during World War II. The stirrup pump was a little hand operated water pump that could be used with buckets of water to fight fires. It consisted of a tube that was placed in the water, a foot rest to hold the pump steady and a handle that was worked up and down to draw the water up:The base of the pump is fitted with a pierced metal filter that prevents grit and debris being drawn into the pump and fouling it:A large handle is fitted to the top of the pump:This can be pulled upwards, creating a vacuum that draws water into the pump:Pushing this down forces the water back out through this nozzle:Originally a thirty foot rubber tube was attached here that could be used to fight fires. To keep the pump steady, a foot rest is fitted to the side of the pump, this part was on the outside of the bucket of water and the user held it steady with their foot:The main tube that was in the bucket of water is protected by a sleeve of a hard rubber that prevents the inner tube from getting crushed:The stirrup pump was recommended to Fire Guards in their handbook as an ideal way to fight small fires caused by incendiary bombs:It could be used by teams of one, two, or ideally three persons:The handbook also gave some instructions on how to care for the pump and actively encouraged owners to use them in civilian life for purposes such as washing windows in order to ensure they were familiar with its operation:Here we see the pumps being manufactured:And used on an ARP training exercise: