Five plaques honour firefighters who died on duty
Five firefighters who died while on duty have been honoured with memorial plaques at Rotherham fire station. The Fire Brigades Union says the plaques recognise their service and remind today’s firefighters that the job can still be dangerous.
The plaques commemorate Enoch Leadbetter, killed by carbon monoxide poisoning in 1943; Charles Busby, who died in an air raid in 1940; John Pollard, who suffered a cardiac arrest while responding to a fire in 1888; Dennis Thompson, who fell at a training school in 1956; and Patrick Dalton, fatally injured in a fire engine crash in 1958. The FBU funds the plaques through its lottery and has installed them around the country since 2017, with up to 20 more planned in South Yorkshire.
In short
- Five South Yorkshire firefighters have been commemorated at Rotherham station.
- Their deaths span 1888 to 1958 and occurred in varied circumstances.
- The FBU plans more memorial plaques across South Yorkshire.