My father, Don Flint, a Southend man, was a fireman in London during the Blitz. Whilst he was on leave in Southend he and his brother Ron, also a fireman, were recognised in the High Street after the bombing of the London Hotel. A Fire Officer called to them to remove their jackets and "get stuck in" rescuing people from the building. According to their youngest brother the local firemen were quite reluctant but the officer knew that my father and Uncle Ron were used to this type of incident. My father pulled out three bodies from the cellar of the hotel. Both he and Uncle Ron received commendations for their efforts from the Chief Fire Officer of Southend. There is a photograph of the ruins of the hotel at http://www.thesoutheastecho.co.uk/southend_history4.htm Regards Donia