大象传媒

My dad joined the fire service in 1939 prior to the war starting, when war did break out he was called up into the army and sent to the Bovingdon/Burford area of Wiltshire to join the tank regiment and trained to be a tank instructor. It was decided by those in charge that my fathers skills would be put to a more constructive use if he returned to the fire service in which he was fully trained. Permission was given for him to return and he came back to Hereford and returned to his job. Firemen were put into fire crews and my dad travelled between Bristol and Plymouth for his firefighting service as there was not much action in Hereford where we lived. When he first arrived at either Plymouth or Bristol, I don't know which place it was all crews were again given numbers and almost immediately his crew was called up to go on a job. The officer in charge, noted that my dads crew had just arrived from Hereford and told them that they did not have to go but to have a rest and he would send another crew. The other crew were sent in their place and unfortunately they never returned...... My dad stayed away from home whilst on duty and returned to see us if he got any time off.

My dad was always considerate of old people and one particular time when there was a lot of action, he said to an old WRVS lady who made tea and sandwiches etc for the fire crews 'you shouldn't be out here with all of these bombs dropping' and she said 'son I am over 80 and if I want to make your food and tea and make your lives that little bit easier then I will do it, after all I have lived my life......

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