Funeral parade for five Cardiff firemen, killed during the Pembroke Dock oil fire, 1940
Item Reference : cny04035

Description

On 19 August 1940, 3 German Ju 88s attacked an oil tank in Pembroke Dock in broad daylight, setting it ablaze. The fire raged through the dock area, destroying 11 of the 17 oil tanks before being brought under control, and for a fortnight the towering pall of black smoke could be seen for 100 miles around. Fire fighters from across the country were drafted in to help; five firemen from Cardiff were killed when an oil tank exploded. They were given a full ceremonial funeral, with a parade by Cardiff NFS and the local ARP. Geoffrey Pritchard's father, Ronald, was a member of the Auxiliary Fire Service, formed at the outbreak of the Second World War, to assist the regular fire brigades. He went on to become Column Officer for the National Fire Service, formed in August 1941 when the regular brigades and the AFS were merged. Following the end of the war, the NFS was again split and reorganised on a regional basis.

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