Cyril Thomas Demarne, (7 February 1905 – 28 January 2007) was a British
firefighter. He served in London during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, throughout
the Blitz
The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'.
The Germa ...
. He was later involved in establishing aviation firefighting units in
Australasia
Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologi ...
and in
Beirut
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
. In retirement, he wrote several books based on his wartime experiences.
Early life
Demarne was born in Poplar, London, the eldest of three sons and two daughters of a City clerk; when his father lost his job through illness, the family's living standards suffered: "Sometimes we sat in the dark, for there was no penny for the gas." Demarne recalled seeing, as a boy, troops marching from
Woolwich
Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained thr ...
through the
Blackwall Tunnel
The Blackwall Tunnel is a pair of road tunnels underneath the River Thames in east London, England, linking the London Borough of Tower Hamlets with the Royal Borough of Greenwich, and part of the A102 road. The northern portal lies just south ...
with horses pulling the guns. Most distinctly, he remembered the
Zeppelin raids on London in 1915 and witnessing the downing of the Schütte-Lanz SL11 (1916) for which
William Leefe Robinson was awarded the
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
. Those dramatic events were a precursor of the relentless bombing of the capital 25 years later.
He joined the West Ham Fire Brigade in 1925 and was a Sub-Officer instructing the
Auxiliary Fire Service
The Auxiliary Fire Service (AFS) was first formed in 1938 in Great Britain as part of the Civil Defence Service. Its role was to supplement the work of brigades at local level. The Auxiliary Fire Service and the local brigades were superseded ...
when war was declared.
World War II
He spent the period from September 1940 to May 1941 serving in
West Ham
West Ham is an area in East London, located east of Charing Cross in the west of the modern London Borough of Newham.
The area, which lies immediately to the north of the River Thames and east of the River Lea, was originally an ancient ...
,
[Obituary](_blank)
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
, 15 February 2007 one of the most heavily bombed areas in the country.
The first day of
the Blitz
The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'.
The Germa ...
(7 September 1940), Demarne recalled a "lovely sunny day. It was about There were about 300 German aircraft. Some detached and flew along the waterfront from North Woolwich to the tidal basin, bombed the big factories along the
River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...
".
These included the giant
Tate and Lyle factory in
Silvertown
Silvertown is a district in the London Borough of Newham, in east London, England. It lies on the north bank of the Thames and was historically part of the parishes of West Ham and East Ham, hundred of Becontree, and the historic county ...
.
The factories had thousands of people working in them and the bombing caused "horrendous casualties".
Buildings were ablaze for three miles along the River Thames.
Demarne ordered 500 pumps to the scene. His commander thought was this a bit excessive and sent someone to check: he reported that 1,000 engines were needed.
Remembering those days 60 years later, Demarne recalled "In the first week of the Blitz I thought London wouldn't be able to stand up to it. There were huge craters and gas flames blazing high in the air and tangled telephone cables everywhere but every night the emergency services got to work and got everything up and running all over again".
The first raid was followed by 57 consecutive nights of bombing; after one night off, when the German aircraft were hampered by bad weather, the air raids resumed until 10 May 1941.
The night of 29/30 December 1940 was one of the most destructive
air raids of the London Blitz and was quickly dubbed
The Second Great Fire of London
The Second Great Fire of London in December 1940 was caused by one of the most destructive air raids of the Blitz during World War II. The Luftwaffe raid caused fires over an area greater than that of the Great Fire of London in 1666, leading ...
. The Auxiliary Fire Service worked almost continuously, putting out fires and rescuing the injured and recovering the dead from the ruined buildings.
Demarne was appointed Company Officer at
Whitechapel
Whitechapel is a district in East London and the future administrative centre of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is a part of the East End of London, east of Charing Cross. Part of the historic county of Middlesex, the area formed ...
in October 1941, in the new
National Fire Service.
He was twice promoted in 1943. In January 1944, as Divisional Officer, he was transferred back to
West Ham
West Ham is an area in East London, located east of Charing Cross in the west of the modern London Borough of Newham.
The area, which lies immediately to the north of the River Thames and east of the River Lea, was originally an ancient ...
in time for the "Baby" Blitz and
flying bomb
A flying bomb is a manned or unmanned aerial vehicle or aircraft carrying a large explosive warhead, a precursor to contemporary cruise missiles. In contrast to a bomber aircraft, which is intended to release bombs and then return to its base f ...
attacks.
He described how one night in
Forest Gate
Forest Gate is a district in the London Borough of Newham, East London, England. It is located northeast of Charing Cross.
The area's name relates to its position adjacent to Wanstead Flats, the southernmost part of Epping Forest. The town ...
a bus laden with people going home from work was hit. "The top of the bus was completely gone with the remains of the passengers scattered over nearby houses. The passengers on the lower deck had all been decapitated but were sitting in their seats "as if waiting to have their fares collected. It was the most horrific thing I witnessed".
He was transferred again to the
City
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
and Central London in November 1944, where he was involved in three of the most deadly
V-2 rocket
The V-2 (german: Vergeltungswaffe 2, lit=Retaliation Weapon 2), with the technical name ''Aggregat 4'' (A-4), was the world’s first long-range guided ballistic missile. The missile, powered by a liquid-propellant rocket engine, was develop ...
attacks, in which more than three hundred people were killed.
Post-war career
After two years service in the
West End, based at Manchester Square Station, he was promoted to
Chief Fire Officer
Chief fire officer (CFO), formerly often just chief officer, is the highest rank in the fire and rescue services of the United Kingdom. There are currently 50 chief fire officers serving in the United Kingdom in charge of the local authority fire ...
West Ham
West Ham is an area in East London, located east of Charing Cross in the west of the modern London Borough of Newham.
The area, which lies immediately to the north of the River Thames and east of the River Lea, was originally an ancient ...
.
In 1952, he received the
OBE.
He retired from the Fire Service in 1955 and moved to Australia, where he became Senior Instructor of the Fire Service Training School at
Sydney Airport from its inception in 1956 to 1964.
During this period, he travelled widely throughout
Australasia
Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologi ...
and developed the aviation fire departments of
Norfolk Island and
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
.
Under secondment to the
International Civil Aviation Organization
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international a ...
, he set up and ran the Civil Aviation Safety Centre at
Beirut Airport
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint of ...
until his retirement in 1967.
In retirement
He published his memoirs of his wartime service in ''The London Blitz – A Fireman's Tale'' in 1980, followed by ''Our Girls – A Story of the Nation's Wartime Firewomen'' (1995). He also contributed to ''The Blitz Then and Now'' series of books, published in 1987, and ''The East End Then and Now'' (1997).
He appeared in several television documentaries on the war
and also in the
Humphrey Jennings film ''
Fires Were Started
''Fires Were Started'' is a 1943 British film written and directed by Humphrey Jennings. Filmed in documentary style, it shows the lives of firefighters through the Blitz during the Second World War. The film uses actual firemen (including Cyr ...
''.
He had the idea of raising a memorial to the
firefighters of the Blitz. A sculpture by
John W Mills has become the
National Firefighters Memorial, erected to the south of
St. Paul's Cathedral in 1991, and elevated and rededicated in 2003.
Firefighters Memorial Charitable Trust
/ref>
Demarne was married in 1930. His wife died in 1986. He is survived by two daughters.
References
External links
Recording of Cyril Demarne
recalling VE Day
Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easter ...
, at the Museum of London
The Museum of London is a museum in London, covering the history of the UK's capital city from prehistoric to modern times. It was formed in 1976 by amalgamating collections previously held by the City Corporation at the Guildhall Museum (fou ...
Village Voice report
{{DEFAULTSORT:Demarne, Cyril
1905 births
2007 deaths
People from Poplar, London
London Fire Brigade personnel
British centenarians
Men centenarians
Officers of the Order of the British Empire