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Firefighters from London Fire Brigade’s Beckenham Fire Station have paid tribute to five colleagues killed in the line of duty during the Blitz, marking 85 years since the tragedy with a special remembrance service.
The ceremony took place at St John’s Church in West Wickham, commemorating the five firefighters who lost their lives in 1941 after their fire engine was struck by a bomb while responding to a 999 call in London. In the lead-up to the service, members of the station’s Blue Watch restored the graveyard and refurbished the fallen firefighters’ gravestones, ensuring the site was fit for the anniversary.
The memorial was organised following efforts by Geoff Cowling, whose uncle, former Bromley firefighter Thomas Webb, witnessed the incident. Webb had been travelling in the appliance behind when the crew ahead received a direct hit.
Cowling said the experience stayed with his uncle for the rest of his life. “Standing at the graveside, my uncle said it was the closest he’d been to them since that fateful day,” he said.
He also reflected on the conditions firefighters faced at the time, noting that many were inexperienced volunteers. “Uncle Tom told me that when the Brigade first received calls to head to London, at the start of the Blitz, the fire engine drivers from Bromley and Beckenham did not know the way. They had never been from Kent to London before,” Cowling said. “It says so much that as inexperienced volunteer village firefighters, they willingly drove into a deadly, terrifying furnace in the heart of London.”
“As a society we should be grateful that, when faced with a situation where most of us are running away from danger, today’s emergency services retain the ethos of those five fallen firefighters and are prepared to head in the opposite direction.”
Geoff Cowling
After revisiting the site, Cowling approached Beckenham Fire Station to ask for support in restoring the graveyard. Station Commander Stuart West said the Blue Watch was “only too pleased to help” after learning the condition of the gravestones. The team carried out renovation work ahead of the anniversary, helping to preserve the memory of those who died.
Speaking at the service, West emphasised the importance of remembrance. “It’s really important to pay tribute to the firefighters that have been before us, it’s only natural we wanted to mark this important anniversary,” he said. “For Blue Watch and I to pay our respects to the brave firefighters, has been a real honour. They gave ‘their today’ for ‘our tomorrow’.”
He also highlighted the historical significance of the site, noting that a wooden cross at the graves had been made from timbers salvaged from a building destroyed during the Blitz.
The service, led by Rev. William Sharpe, brought together firefighters and members of the local community to honour the sacrifice of the five men, whose legacy continues to resonate with today’s crews.
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