The daughter of an Aboyne firefighter who lost his life in the line of duty says she is “thankful” her dad won’t be forgotten by history.
Saturday marked the 60th anniversary of the death of Dudley Hamish Grant, then Aboyne’s leading fireman.
Affectionately known as Hamish by friends and family, he was just three days shy of his 37th birthday when he died.
The firefighter lost his life after a fire engine crash near Craigievar in 1965.
Newspapers reports of the time record that more than 1,000 people attended his funeral.
When his daughter Charlotte was told last year that her dad would be getting a Red Plaque – a memorial for firefighters who have died in the line of duty – she said she felt ‘quite emotional’.
She said: “I felt really emotional and quite happy about it, just to think that after all this time he was being recognised.
“With the plaque there, he will be remembered for a long time. He won’t be forgotten by history.”
Aboyne dad’s death was ‘huge shock’ to family
The fireman had accompanied his crew to a house fire at Woodside Farm Corse on April 19, 1965.
Unknown to them, the fire had already been brought under control.
As the fire truck navigated a bend, it mounted a grass verge, toppled down a small embankment and plunged into a field before overturning.
Hamish lost his life in the crash, while the four other members of the fire crew were hospitalised.
Speaking to the P&J last year, Charlotte said: “We were so young and it was quite a shock to our systems, as well as our mother’s, as she was only 36 when he died.
“It was a huge thing in our lives to have happened.”
Charlotte’s daughter discovers Red Plaque Project
Charlotte’s daughter Sarah was the one who discovered the Red Plaque Project and after researching it she found it to be “really interesting”.
Her daughter then applied for the red plaque while Charlotte was visiting America last year.
Charlotte asked the Fire Brigades Union if they could do the unveiling 60 years exactly after her dad passed away – on April 19.
Unveiling marks 60 years since the accident
“So it’s 60 years since he left this fire station to go out on a call and didn’t come back,” she said,
“They probably would’ve done it sooner, but they asked me when I’d like it to happen.”
Charlotte and Sarah’s family and friends, serving firefighters, FBU representatives, community members and fire chiefs all attended an unveiling ceremony on Saturday.
Wreaths were laid by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) and Hamish’s family.
Speakers included SFRS chief officer David Farries, FBU council member Colin Brown, Marcus Humphrey and Hamish’s daughter Charlotte.
The wreaths were blessed by Father Jim Thomson and there was then a minute’s silence.
“Every day they go to work not knowing if they will come home”
FBU regional treasurer Seona Hart, who attended and help organise the unveiling, said: “Since 2017, the Red Plaque Scheme has created memorials for firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty.
“Each red plaque commemorates a moment in local history and offers a place of reflection for the community.
“They are funded by the Firefighters 100 Lottery, a charitable initiative run by the Fire Brigades Union.
“It is vital we remember firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty.
“Firefighters will always fight to make sure that happens.
“Every day they go to work not knowing if they will come home or not.
“The tremendous bravery and sacrifice of those who lose their lives in the line of duty should always be commemorated and red plaques help make sure that that is the case.”
Conversation