As you know Eddie we are having a small dedication of the Denbury tree and Bench at NMA in May. The two boys are on the wall along with others perhaps that would be the time and place to mention them?

Thanks to all you lads for the information that you have wrote and sent me regarding the fire of 1962 at Newton Abbot Barracks that claimed the life of my Cousin John Sandy Albiston..Thanks for tending his grave and please exept our deepest Gratitude for all that you have done...THANK YOU ALL...

Memories are fading now but I am sure that the Coventry Climax fire pump trailers did nt get moved up to the spiders until after the fire and I am sure they also instituted fire piquets as well as guards. I still have a small piece of molten glass somewhere with devon soil trapped inside that was the remains of my window. I slept next to the fire door and when the alarm was raised I could see fire in the corridor. As I was going through the firedoor I remebered my beloved guitar turned back and was almost blown off my feet as the fire came down the room. I remeber watching lockers falling through the floor in neat regimental opposite pairs and being showered with hot chips of asbestos from the roof.

It was very sad that Sandy and John lost their lives in that fire. Today it would not happen. On that sad night all Iron troop had been taken up to London for the weekend by Frank Young as a treatfor winning something or other so we missed it all. It was a shock when we got back seeing the blackened structure. I cannot remember any extra precautions being put in place as a result of the fire. What is nice is that after all these years we can still care about a Debury Boy no longer with us.Chalky

Regarding the spider fire I have posted the file that was sent to Philip on the new look www.denburyjuniorleaders.com it is up and running but need to update the files...however if you go to the Photos â?? Files page you will find the link to the spider fire but an Adobe Reader is required to view...it will be some time before all files are updated but thought readers would like to read about this tragic event regards Steve

Skip going back to the cemetery thing I now go to his grave every time I go down and do what I can but I know also that lads like Max Scott and others also do their bit to keep the plot up to date which is more than we can ask and for that Im glad. Dont think Max is on our site anymore which is also another sad part of life..regards terry and brenda..

HIlike many others on this site i was one of many trying to put the fire out. but because the building was wooden and old plus all the polish we laid down we didnt have much chance of putting it out. just for your information one of the lads has paid for the grave to be looked after all these years i wont mention his name in case he doesnt want to be known. bad night i think is stuck in everyones mind.regards keith harding

Skip My own personal memories of the fire. I was a few weeks into junior wing training and was granted a weekend leave because my brother (REME) was home on leave and I had not seen him for nearly three years. That weekend went well and I had no interest in watching the news or reading the papers at that age so come the Sunday I started the long train journeys back to Denbury and got a mini cab at Flogget station back to camp the driver said what a terrible fire we had had and of course I knew nothing about it I walked into the camp late that night and just stood by the burn`t out spider with tears in my eyes. Those two boys sadly missed out on the life training we got at Denbury and being with us all today. God Bless them and their families.

Skip I was also on leave that weekend and I returned to that mess also what sticks in my mind was the reportumour that when the fire picquet pushed the coventry clixad engines to the big water tank inbetween kohima and the 1 squadron troop and dropped the water pipe into it they found it was empty. Did you ever hear that?regards terry and brenda

hi terrycannot remember the empty tank but can remember pushing the fire cart witih others and everyone using those fire bucket hoses. the roaring heat and the helpless feeling of losing. we didnt know about the lads until after. and a big thank yoou to you .regardsskip