Leading Fireman Robert Storey was killed when a gable wall suddenly collapsed without warning, and his colleague Fireman Robert Locke was seriously injured. Although Fireman Locke survived for 13 years after the incident, his death was still attributed to the very severe injuries he received.
When Station Manager John Wall learned of these two firemen, he set the wheels in motion to have a plaque erected at Longtown Fire Station where the two gentlemen served, as a permanent memorial. It is also hoped that in the future, their names may be added to the National Memorial in London.
I am indebted to Station Manager Wall for his very kind invitation to attend the ceremony.
Station Manager John Wall.
Chief Fire Officer Dominic Harrison, Station
Manager John Wall, Councillor Val Tarbitt,
and Revd Sheila Hughes, Chaplain to the Cumbria
Fire & Rescue Service in South Cumbria.
Councillor Val Tarbitt unveiled the plaque.
The Storey family with the Chief Fire Officer.
The Locke family with the Chief Fire Officer.
This website celebrated its 10th anniversary in January and over those 10 years I have met some very interesting people from the family of fire-fighters here in the North West corner of England. Below is a photograph of myself with former Carlisle City Fireman Jim Templeton. Jim retired in 1973 and is now in his 92nd year, though he hides that fact extremely well. Jim attended the incident at Milton Hall, Brampton, and indeed it was his crew that was relieved by the crew from Brampton. It was a great privilege for me to spend quite some time chatting with Jim, and I know that Station Manager Wall would like me to put on record his thanks for all the help Jim has given in recalling details of this tragic incident.
Fr. Norman Price with former Carlisle City
Fireman Jim Templeton.
Sadly Mr. Templeton passed away on 27 November
2011. R.I.P.
Family, friends, and current fire-fighters who attended the ceremony.