AS a family member - my grandfather, Francis Joseph Brooking, was one of the crew - may I thank you for your excellent coverage of this event.

I know that the families were so grateful, not only for your reporting, but also for the generosity of the Saltash public and organisations for raising the funding needed, and attending the Church Service and Blessing of the new headstones. I am sure that the firemen would have felt proud of their community.

Statistically, the loss of six Saltash firemen represented the biggest loss in one incident in the whole of the Fire Service in WWII. They were ordinary men but that night did something extraordinary to help the people of Plymouth. The personal stories can also be so very poignant.

One of the young firemen wanted to join the Armed Services as had his two brothers, but he was kept in a 'protected occupation!' He was killed. His brothers came home 'without a scratch on them'.

The oldest member killed was my grandfather. He was the region's A.F.S. trainer, and returned to the A.F.S. Headquarters after work to find the duty crew was one short. He volunteered, apparently making his case as 'I trained them. I should go with them!' He never returned alive.

When I was a boy, I asked my grandmother why my grandfather never had a headstone. She replied, 'On a War Widow's pension, I had enough problems whether to heat or eat - let alone try to find money for a headstone!' Times were very hard.

It is a remarkable coincidence that around this time, April 2026, an unexploded German bomb was discovered in Plymouth - 85 years later. That war-time generation were remarkable in terms of loyalty, courage and determination!

We should never forget them and those who made the supreme sacrifice for us.

Barry Brooking

Saltash