In Memory of the 34 Firefighters who lost their life at the Old Palace School
On Saturday 19th April 1997, on the anniversary of the tragic bombing of the Old palace School in Poplar, a Dedication Ceremony took place at the site of the former Old Palace School, St. Leonard's Street, London The Dedication Ceremony Order of Service is shown below and was kindly donated to me by Bryan Wotton, … Continue reading The Dedication Ceremony
Killed in the Line of Duty.......... The more I research the families of the firefighters killed at the Old Palace School, the more I am struck by how much tragedy these families suffered. Not only the deaths of their loved ones on that fateful night in April 1941, but the families also suffered so many … Continue reading AFS Fireman Sidney Bartholomew Jones
Killed in the Line of Duty........... Another life taken far too young and yet another family that were devastated by the tragic events at the Old Palace School in Poplar, on that fateful night in April 1941. Leonard Roots was born on 16th April 1910 in Beckenham in Kent, the youngest of four boys, born … Continue reading AFS Leading Fireman Leonard Roots
Killed in the Line of Duty............... I always knew that whilst researching this project, that trying to trace 34 individuals and their families was not going to be easy and eventually I would find one firefighter that I would hit a complete brick wall with and sadly Edgar William Vick has been that man. His … Continue reading AFS Fireman Edgar William Vick
Killed in the Line of Duty.............. Vernon Joseph Middleditch was born on 29th October 1909 at 29, Alnwick Road, Custom House, West Ham in East London, the second youngest of eight children born to George William Middleditch and Ada Emily White. George was born in the North East of England, in County Durham and Ada … Continue reading AFS Fireman Vernon Joseph Middleditch
Killed in the Line of Duty......... Fate can sometimes deal the cruelest of blows and for some families they seem to suffer more than their fair share of heartache and pain, there is no way to explain things like this, but for some families, they just suffer tragedy and loss more than others and the … Continue reading AFS Fireman Martin Charles Parfett
Killed in the Line of Duty......... The tragic loss of a loved one can leave families distraught and torn apart and some families find it impossible to process such a devastating loss like this and in the case of Walter John Woodland, his Brother was so over come with grief that he was unable to … Continue reading AFS Leading Fireman Walter John Woodland
Killed in the Line of Duty.............. Whilst researching this project, I was always aware that researching the lives of 34 firefighters was not going to be an easy task and that the likelihood was that for some, I was going to be unlucky and not find any living family members. Firefighter Ronald Mark Bailey was … Continue reading AFS Fireman Ronald Mark Bailey
Whilst researching the life of AFS Fireman Albert Alfred Savill, I have been extremely fortunate in being able to make contact with two of Albert Alfred Savill's descendants, who have kindly sent me a vast amount of documents, letters, photographs and newspaper cuttings about their ancestor. With Special thanks to Alf Saville and Keith Dye … Continue reading AFS Fireman Albert Alfred Savill
The London Fire Brigade War Memorial, was erected to members of the Fire Services who lost their lives during the Second World War. Seen here at the conclusion of the dedication and unveiling ceremony which took place on 10th April 1956, with additional flowers placed by relatives and friends. The memorial, which occupies a bay … Continue reading The Unveiling and Dedication of the London Fire Services War Memorial 1939-1945
Old Palace School Bombing 