Cropredy FLAGS

[Pastieboy (Trev)]

I was told the story behind the "Star Spangled" banner with the New York fire department and Cornish emblem flag  (in this photo ). It is a very sad story . Can anyone else verify this .

Stand by to cry.

About ten years ago a woman artist and folkie was touring England one
summer. She visited Cornwall and fell for a fireman who was also a folkie.
They had their summer of love, topped off with Cropredy, which he did every
year. They got married and moved to New York, where he joined the fire
department. They were all set to live happily ever after, but 9/11 happened,
and he was officer in charge of one of the watches, so it was his job to be
the last man out of the first tower. He knew he wasn't going to make it, so
as he was going down the steps he rang her on his mobile, and sang Cornish
folk songs until the tower collapsed.

The following summer his widow visited his old fire station (I think it was
Penzance). I believe she was given the freedom of the city, and she visited
Cropredy with his old mates. They come back every year, with the flag of New
York Ciry Fire Department and the Cross of Cornwall flying side by side.                                                                                                                                                    
   At least, that's the story as it was given to me.

Not for the first time, history comes to Cropredy.


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[jude]

That's an extraordinary story

[Amethyst (Jenny)]

That is SO SAD!!!  

[johanna/ulla]

Now I am in tears  

[Oxford Trunkles]

I can't even begin to imagine what that was like...... such a sad story.

trunkles  

[Tasha]

It sounds like Rick Rescorla who has been the subject of a couple of documenataries about 9/11 - but he wasn't a fireman he worked for Morgan Stanley Investment Bank. He saved over 2000 peoples lives by encouraging them to evacuate instead of stay at their desks as the security announcement was telling them. He was said to be singing Cornish folk songs as he helped people down the stairwell and he sang Men of Cornwall to his workmate down the phone but not to his wife. He came originally from Hayle in Cornwall.Moved to USA when he was in his late teens and fought in the Vietnam war. But no Cropredy connection that I know of and not all the story fits really so i don't know.....maybe its a mixture of two stories?

[Andy]

See http://www.mudvillegazette.com/archives/000307.html

[Chris]

Nice story, but obviously not based on Rescorla.

Sounds to me like some NYFD folkies that come to Cropredy & wish to remember the naturalised American from Cornwall, in his birth-country.

If as much as that.

Strange how stories get completely made up, though.

[Tasha]

I guess that its the modern equivelent of folklore! There are obviously some elements of Rescorla in the story and in the telling it has developed? Interesting stuff though eh?

[Chris]

Indeed - but it obviously isn't Rescorla that is being remembered in that story - he never worked for any fire authority!

[PaulT]

Regardless of the accuracy of the original story as related above, there's a song just waiting to be written... Mr Chris Leslie, over to you.......?