Cyril Demarne
Encyclopedia
Cyril Thomas Demarne OBE
(7 February 1905 – 28 January 2007) was a British
firefighter
. He served in London during the Second World War, throughout the Blitz
. He was later involved in establishing aviation firefighting units in Australasia
and in Beirut
. In retirement, he wrote several books based on his wartime experiences.
. As a boy, he recalled seeing troops marching from Woolwich
through the Blackwall Tunnel
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
.
Those dramatic events 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
when war was declared.
, one of the most heavily bombed areas in the country.
The first day of the Blitz
(7 September 1940), Demarne recalled a "lovely sunny day. It was about 5 pm. 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
." These included the giant Tate and Lyle factory in Silvertown
. 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 back 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 a single night off, when the German aircraft were hampered by bad weather, the air raids resumed until the 10 May 1941. The night of 29 December/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 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
in October 1941, in the newly-formed National Fire Service
. He was twice promoted in 1943. In January 1944, as Divisional Officer, he was transferred back to West Ham
in time for the "Baby" Blitz and flying bomb
attacks.
He described how one night in Forest Gate
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
and Central London in November 1944, where he was involved in three of the most deadly V-2 rocket
attacks, in which more than three hundred people were killed.
, based at Manchester Square Station, he was promoted to Chief Fire Officer
West Ham
. 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
and developed the aviation fire departments of Norfolk Island
and Papua New Guinea
. Under secondment to the International Civil Aviation Organization
, he set up and ran the Civil Aviation Safety Centre at Beirut Airport until his retirement in 1967.
He appeared in several television documentaries on the war and also in the Humphrey Jennings
film Fires Were Started
.
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.
Demarne was married in 1930. His wife died in 1986. He is survived by two daughters.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(7 February 1905 – 28 January 2007) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
firefighter
Firefighter
Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
. He served in London during the Second World War, throughout the Blitz
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
. He was later involved in establishing aviation firefighting units in Australasia
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
and in Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
. In retirement, he wrote several books based on his wartime experiences.
Early life
Demarne was born in Poplar, LondonPoplar, London
Poplar is a historic, mainly residential area of the East End of London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is about east of Charing Cross. Historically a hamlet in the parish of Stepney, Middlesex, in 1817 Poplar became a civil parish. In 1855 the Poplar District of the Metropolis was...
. As a boy, he recalled seeing troops marching from Woolwich
Woolwich
Woolwich is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.Woolwich formed part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created...
through the Blackwall Tunnel
Blackwall Tunnel
The Blackwall Tunnel is a pair of road tunnels underneath the River Thames in east London, linking the London Borough of Tower Hamlets with the London Borough of Greenwich, and part of the A102 road. The northern portal lies just south of the East India Dock Road in Blackwall; the southern...
with horses pulling the guns. Most distinctly, he remembered the Zeppelin
Zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship pioneered by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century. It was based on designs he had outlined in 1874 and detailed in 1893. His plans were reviewed by committee in 1894 and patented in the United States on 14 March 1899...
raids on London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1915 and witnessing the downing of the Schütte-Lanz
Schütte-Lanz
Schütte-Lanz is the name of a series of rigid airships designed and built by the Luftschiffbau Schütte-Lanz company from 1909 until the last LS22 was delivered in 1917. One research and four passenger airships were planned for post-war use, but were never built...
SL11 (1916) for which William Leefe Robinson was awarded the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
.
Those dramatic events a precursor of the relentless bombing of the capital 25 years later.
He joined the West Ham
West Ham
West Ham is in the London Borough of Newham in London, England. In the west it is a post-industrial neighbourhood abutting the site of the London Olympic Park and in the east it is mostly residential, consisting of Victorian terraced housing interspersed with higher density post-War social housing...
Fire Brigade in 1925 and was a Sub-Officer
Sub-Officer
Sub-Officer is a term used in many military forces used to indicate ranks below commissioned officers. Sub-Officer is equivalent to the term NCO in the Commonwealth and USA...
instructing the Auxiliary Fire Service
Auxiliary Fire Service
The Auxiliary Fire Service was first formed in 1938 in Great Britain as part of Civil Defence Air raid precautions. Its role was to supplement the work of brigades at local level. In this job it was hampered severely by the incompatibility of equipment used by these different brigades - most...
when war was declared.
World War II
He spent the period from September 1940 to May 1941 serving in West HamWest Ham
West Ham is in the London Borough of Newham in London, England. In the west it is a post-industrial neighbourhood abutting the site of the London Olympic Park and in the east it is mostly residential, consisting of Victorian terraced housing interspersed with higher density post-War social housing...
, one of the most heavily bombed areas in the country.
The first day of the Blitz
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
(7 September 1940), Demarne recalled a "lovely sunny day. It was about 5 pm. There were about 300 German aircraft. Some detached and flew along the waterfront from North Woolwich
Woolwich
Woolwich is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.Woolwich formed part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created...
to the tidal basin, bombed the big factories along the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
." These included the giant Tate and Lyle factory in Silvertown
Silvertown
Silvertown is an industrialised district on the north bank of the Thames in the London Borough of Newham. It was named after Samuel Winkworth Silver's former rubber factory which opened in 1852, and is now dominated by the Tate & Lyle sugar refinery and the John Knight ABP animal rendering...
. 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
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
. Demarne ordered 500 pumps to the scene. His commander thought was this a bit excessive, and sent someone to check: he reported back 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 a single night off, when the German aircraft were hampered by bad weather, the air raids resumed until the 10 May 1941. The night of 29 December/30 December 1940 was one of the most destructive air raids
Airstrike
An air strike is an attack on a specific objective by military aircraft during an offensive mission. Air strikes are commonly delivered from aircraft such as fighters, bombers, ground attack aircraft, attack helicopters, and others...
of the London Blitz and was quickly dubbed The Second Great Fire of London
The Second Great Fire of London
The "Second Great Fire of London" is a name used at the time to refer to one of the most destructive air raids of the London Blitz, over the night of 29/30 December 1940. Between 6pm and 6am the next day, more than 24,000 high explosive bombs and 100,000 incendiary bombs were dropped...
. 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
Whitechapel is a built-up inner city district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, London, England. It is located east of Charing Cross and roughly bounded by the Bishopsgate thoroughfare on the west, Fashion Street on the north, Brady Street and Cavell Street on the east and The Highway on the...
in October 1941, in the newly-formed National Fire Service
National Fire Service
The National Fire Service was the single fire service created in Great Britain in 1941 during the Second World War; a separate National Fire Service was created in 1942....
. He was twice promoted in 1943. In January 1944, as Divisional Officer, he was transferred back to West Ham
West Ham
West Ham is in the London Borough of Newham in London, England. In the west it is a post-industrial neighbourhood abutting the site of the London Olympic Park and in the east it is mostly residential, consisting of Victorian terraced housing interspersed with higher density post-War social housing...
in time for the "Baby" Blitz and flying bomb
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...
attacks.
He described how one night in Forest Gate
Forest Gate
Forest Gate is a residential area in the London Borough of Newham, 7 miles northeast of Charing Cross. It is bordered by Manor Park to the east and and to the west lies Stratford town centre. The northern half of the busy Green Street runs through it.-History:...
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
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
and Central London in November 1944, where he was involved in three of the most deadly V-2 rocket
V-2 rocket
The V-2 rocket , technical name Aggregat-4 , was a ballistic missile that was developed at the beginning of the Second World War in Germany, specifically targeted at London and later Antwerp. The liquid-propellant rocket was the world's first long-range combat-ballistic missile and first known...
attacks, in which more than three hundred people were killed.
Post-war career
After two years service in the West EndWest End of London
The West End of London is an area of central London, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buildings, and entertainment . Use of the term began in the early 19th century to describe fashionable areas to the west of Charing Cross...
, based at Manchester Square Station, he was promoted to Chief Fire Officer
Chief Fire Officer
A Chief Fire Officer or CFO is the highest ranking Officer in the UK Fire & Rescue Service. There are currently 59 Chief Fire Officers serving in the United Kingdom in charge of County Fire Services....
West Ham
West Ham
West Ham is in the London Borough of Newham in London, England. In the west it is a post-industrial neighbourhood abutting the site of the London Olympic Park and in the east it is mostly residential, consisting of Victorian terraced housing interspersed with higher density post-War social housing...
. In 1952, he received the OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
.
He retired from the Fire Service in 1955 and moved to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, where he became Senior Instructor of the Fire Service Training School at Sydney Airport
Sydney Airport
Sydney Airport may refer to:* Sydney Airport, also known as Kingsford Smith International Airport, in Sydney, Australia* Sydney/J.A. Douglas McCurdy Airport, in Nova Scotia, Canada...
from its inception in 1956 to 1964. During this period, he travelled widely throughout Australasia
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
and developed the aviation fire departments of Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...
and Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
. Under secondment to the International Civil Aviation Organization
International Civil Aviation Organization
The International Civil Aviation Organization , pronounced , , is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth...
, he set up and ran the Civil Aviation Safety Centre at Beirut Airport 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
Humphrey Jennings
Frank Humphrey Sinkler Jennings was an English documentary filmmaker and one of the founders of the Mass Observation organization...
film Fires Were Started
Fires Were Started
Fires Were Started is a British film written and directed by Humphrey Jennings, filmed in documentary style showing the lives of firefighters through the Blitz in World War II...
.
He had the idea of raising a memorial
Memorial
A memorial is an object which serves as a focus for memory of something, usually a person or an event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or art objects such as sculptures, statues or fountains, and even entire parks....
to the firefighters of the Blitz. A sculpture by John W Mills has become the National Firefighters Memorial
National Firefighters Memorial
The National Firefighters Memorial is a group of three bronze figures depicting firefighters in action at the height of the Blitz. It is located on the new Jubilee Walkway to the south of St...
, erected to the south of St. Paul's Cathedral in 1991, and elevated and rededicated in 2003.
Demarne was married in 1930. His wife died in 1986. He is survived by two daughters.
External links
- In Memoriam
- Local Press Cuttings
- Recording of Cyril Demarne recalling VE Day, at the Museum of LondonMuseum of LondonThe Museum of London documents the history of London from the Prehistoric to the present day. The museum is located close to the Barbican Centre, as part of the striking Barbican complex of buildings created in the 1960s and 70s as an innovative approach to re-development within a bomb damaged...
- Village Voice report